Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore
by ExistInspire
Summary: A one night return turns into a whole lot more for one ex superstar and the man that just couldn't seem to forget about her.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

**Summary:** A one night return turns into a whole lot more for one ex superstar and the man that just couldn't seem to forget about her.

**A/N:** I've got two stories that are on hiatus until I can wrap my mind around them, and this one is being used as a way to work back into writing fan fiction again after taking quite a few months off. Reviews are appreciated but I treasure all of you that read it, whether its reviewed or not.

* * *

She entered her office, her small piece of heaven away from the hustle of the work day, and immediately made a beeline for her chair, one of the best investments she had ever chosen. Her body was overworked, from clients all day, and she needed just a couple seconds of breathing room before beginning it all again.

As she allowed herself the pleasure of being off her feet, she scanned slowly over her appointment book and it was then that she saw it, and immediately felt like slapping herself. Written there, deep in black ink, in her own handwriting and not that of the receptionist, was exactly what her actual plans were for the night.

**WWE Appearance - Air Canada Centre 7:00 PM**

It all came flooding back to her now. Vince had called a month beforehand, wanting yet another powerful showing by her as they rolled into the mega city known as Toronto, and being as obliging to her old boss and company as she was, she had agreed and now she looked upon it with dread.

Just what had she been thinking. A full day of appointments back to back, teaching classes, and then she was supposed to go out on live television and look as if she hadn't been working her ass off all day? How was she going to pull this off?

_You'll do it the way you always do Trish. You will go out there and forget everything that came before it. You will make yourself at home again._

She knew her thoughts were true. There had been a time where she lived and breathed anything that had to do with the wrestling business, and would do just about anything they asked of her, traits she had learned from Paul Levesque, known to the world as Triple H, and his best friend Shawn Michaels. Traits she had taken from the ring and placed into her real life.

Staring at the appointment book though, she realized that more then anything she was in need of a serious break, one where she didn't make appearances at events, for WWE and otherwise. One where she could go home, to her dogs, and her small modest home, and just climb in bed and be a normal single woman.

_Single woman._ Her mind played over the fact that yes, after a few short years of marriage to a man she thought to be her forever, she was now indeed single again. She embraced being single most days, but on nights like tonight when all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep, she really wished there was someone there to share it with her.

Sadly there wasn't and just like there was nothing she could in the immediate future to change it, such was the luck she had in terms of this WWE event. She had marked herself down for it, so no matter her true feelings on it in that moment, she knew she would do it. It was just the way she was.

Her office door opened then, and one of her partners, a friend since high school walked in, a smile plastered on her face from ear to ear. Megan was a true friend, one that through her entire time in the WWE had stuck by her, and been right there when she needed a partner for the yoga studio venture she opened when her career had come to an end.

"So tonight's the big night huh?"

Wondering just what she was talking about, Trish threw her a look of confusion. Was it possible she had let Megan in on what was taking place within her old stomping ground that night and she had just put it out of her mind?

"What do you mean?"

"You, heading back into the WWE, and essentially back into the ring. This is the night it happens right?"

All Trish could do was nod her head in agreement, not exactly wanting to voice her feelings about being less then excited and suddenly craving solitude more then ever.

"You excited?"

"Honestly Megan, whenever I get asked to appear on Raw when they come here, I'm usually very into it, but I feel like I might be on the edge of a burnout and tonight, the last thing I want to do is go out in front of thirty thousand people and smile and kick ass. I just don't think I have it in me."

Megan sat down in the vacant chair opposite her best friend and just nodded her understanding. If there was anyone in the world that understood what Trish was going through in terms of burnout, it was Megan.

"Is there any way you can talk to them and see if they can either slim down what you have to do out there tonight, or maybe give you the night off entirely?"

Trish laughed then, unable to hold it in. If there was one thing Vince McMahon did not like doing, it was giving ANYONE the night off, and she was no exception, no matter how beloved to the older man she was. Slimming down her role for the evening though actually seemed like a really good idea, and one she would explore once she was alone again.

"You know Vince, well at least what I've told you of him, you know he wont give me the night off, especially not with them already being in town now and setting up for the night."

"Then why don't you take off early, enjoy some alone time before you've gotta do your thing in the ring. I can take your appointments for the afternoon and classes and when I need it, you can pay me back."

Trish wanted to get on her knees in that moment and thank the magical fairies that had given her such a good friend. If there was ever a moment where she was overly thankful for Megan, now was the time. There was nothing better she could think of especially with the burnout feeling getting closer each passing second.

"You are a godsend, and when this is all over, and you need me, I'm there. No questions asked."

Megan stood then and following suit, Trish grabbed her purse and her jacket off the hook in the room and followed her out, but not before giving her friend a deep hug. Whispering words of thanks again, she walked from the office, ready to take whatever time she had left to just relax and enjoy her life, and everything that she had in it.

As she walked from the office she let her mind wander again to the show she was about to walk out into tonight, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized there was a small part of her that really wanted to be there. The part that needed to go back and see the man that had stolen her heart and never even known it.

Yes, she was excited for tonight, because tonight would be the night she would finally take her heart back, and the man had no idea it was even coming.

_It really is time to deliver a little bit of Stratusfaction on the WWE Universe again. _she thought to herself with a smile. _'and maybe give a certain Superstar the shock of his life in the process._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

**Summary:** A one night return turns into a whole lot more for one ex superstar and the man that just couldn't seem to forget about her.

* * *

"Randy, dude are you even listening to me?"

He wasn't of course, his mind was elsewhere, what with all that was about to take place in just a few short hours from now. They were yet again in another city, this time one that he had spent many a night in, enjoying the night life, when he was young and didn't have a care in the world.

It had been years since he had gone out and done the things he did then. Finding random women, ring rats as the boys liked to refer to them, and getting so plastered no one, including him could remember their names in the morning light, but the memories seemed to stick with him like glue.

It had been six months since he had officially become single, a feeling he still hadn't been able to get used too. A feeling that even the guys he worked with didn't understand. They wanted the Randy Orton of old back, the one that would party all night, get girls phone numbers, and never call. The playboy, the real and true Viper, the man he just could not be any more.

He had a very valid reason for being a reformed man. Samantha had done that for him at first, but then it had been the birth of his daughter. The day she came into the world, he vowed to be a better man and he had stuck by it, living his life no longer in the fast lane, but more in the carpool lane, the one where everything was safe and contained, just the way he wanted it for the precious angel he now called his entire world.

Thinking about Alanna could bring him to tears in no time, and that was something that he did not want happening as he was supposed to be preparing for a title match that evening. He knew he should be listening to John, his best friend since their mere debuts a few short years before, but his heart wasn't in it, and to be truthful neither was his mind.

His heart was in Missouri with his daughter, and his mind was on the upcoming ex superstar that was about to make yet another hometown appearance in the ring that night. Truth be told, there was something that he had never been able to let go of when it came to the elusive Ms Stratus, and even after all these years, the flame didn't seem to want to fade.

One of course that she had no idea about. His feelings for her, or whatever you wanted to call them had been from afar and until the day she had retired from the ring he had never told her, and with her making an appearance tonight, he was seriously debating whether or not now would be the time. Which was why even as John called his name again, seemingly getting more frustrated, he found himself still not listening.

"Okay so we go out there tonight, and basically I do whatever the hell I want to you and you take it and I win the Championship right?"

He turned his had up instantly at the sound of the match and him losing the title. If there was one thing in the world that could take his mind off missing his little girl, and maybe missing someone who could possibly be a really great love of his life, it was the belt.

Ever since he had been a young child coming to the arena's and watching his father wrestle, he had always had a serious love for the Championship gold. More then that he respected it, and in the end was the sole reason he continued to fight on in a business where injuries were common place and he had been hurt more then he had been healed.

"Yeah, okay smartass. I'm listening. So what exactly is it you wanna do out there tonight besides beat my ass so bad you steal my belt?"

John grinned and Randy, unable to stand it laughed back, his thoughts finally away from what he didn't have, and instead what he did have and what he had to work like hell to keep and defend.

"I want to know where the hell your head is at first of all."

John Cena showing concern? Randy had always known him to be a good man, one that seemed to take great care in the ring and out of it when it came to the people he came into contact with, but to actually sit here and want to get personal when they had a match to plan, well it just wasn't something familiar to Randy.

"Where it always is, at home with my little girl. Now can we get to the match now?"

"Nice try, its more then that. Ever since Vince dropped the bombshell on us last week on live television that Trish would be making an appearance this week, you've been in a mood and before you tell me that's not true, I've seen you dude. You are a train wreck and you ignoring me proves it."

Randy knew he was right. He had been a mess since hearing the news, and as much as he tried to stay in the frame of mind of the Viper, of which he had now been called and had grown accustomed too, he obviously hadn't sheltered his feelings as well as he'd hoped.

"You don't know what your talking about."

"Yeah I know, and Santa Claus is real, and the Easter Bunny really does leave chocolate all over the damn place. Look I get it, you don't wanna get into it, but since I remember a time where you couldn't even speak straight around a certain Canadian diva, you ain't fooling me."

"Fine, I admit it, her being here this week, us being in her hometown, its bringing up a lot of bad memories in terms of the way I used to be before Alanna was born, and its also making me remember that there was this woman, the one woman in the entire company I could spill my heart out too, and I never told her that she meant something to me, and then she vanished."

The minute his speech was done he started wondering if he had said too much. John and him had never had issues sharing things personally before, on the rare occasions that it did happen, but somehow right now, this seemed a little too deep, even for him.

"You think I'm crazy don't you John? Bringing a woman into business."

John shook his head, negatively and immediately threw himself down onto the ring apron, and looking Randy directly in the eye.

"I'll be honest with you, I've been there, you know how I felt about Amy when she was here, and you also remember that much like you I didn't get the nerve up to tell her, and I've regretted it ever since. So no, you don't sound crazy. What you sound like is you have unfinished business and my suggestion is to deal with it, tonight, before it again becomes unfinished and she walks out of her life again, possibly for good."

Randy really played John's words over in his mind, letting it sink in, knowing that he had indeed been there when John had a thing for Trish's good friend Amy Dumas, better known as Lita, and he also remembered that John had also let the woman walk away, something he had never entirely lived down. He also knew his best friend was right, it was either he did something tonight, or he risked her walking from his life and never addressing it again.

Something he just could not admit to being prepared to do.

"I know Sam did a number on you man, I do, but maybe its time to think about what is best for Randy Orton, and not what the rest of the world wants for Randy Orton."

"And how do I go about doing this oh wise one?"

It was then that John motioned with his hands back towards the ring, and then smiled. "Well for starters you work out a hell of a match with me for the show, then when its all said and done, you find the girl, and you ask her out, and for the love of God Randy, you don't let her walk away."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

**Summary:** A one night return turns into a whole lot more for one ex superstar and the man that just couldn't seem to forget about her.

* * *

Trish walked the hallway of the backstage area slowly, pacing herself for the inevitable crash of people that would soon surround her, both new superstars looking for tips on making it in the business and the older veterans who just wanted the chance to catch up with arguably one of the best Diva's WWE had ever had. She had to admit that having the entire afternoon had helped her embrace her chance to grace the squared circle again, but the fear was still there, and she knew it wasn't just having to the appearance that was bothering her.

No this feeling was altogether different and belonged to only one entity. One person, one man.

_Randy Orton, master of the RKO and the man that walked away with my heart and never knew it. _The voice spoke loudly from her brain, as if she was unable to piece it together all on her own. Mentally chiding herself again, as she had done throughout the day for even giving the man a second thought, she caught sight of the people standing around in catering, and her skin immediately broke out in goose bumps.

How could it be that someone who had spent so many years being so comfortable in a WWE ring was now practically about to break out in hives at the mere thought of being around other people, people she had very often worked with in her time within the WWE. She couldn't entirely explain it, all she knew was that the feeling was there and before she made her way over, she had to distance herself from it.

Before she had a chance to adequately make the awkward response of her body go away, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her shoulders, and spinning around at lightning speed, really hoping against hope it wasn't Randy, she broke away and came face to face with the man who had the gall to actually grab her and the instant she saw him, her face lit up in the brightest of smiles.

"Mark, oh my goodness, its so good to see you!"

Mark Calloway, better known to the wrestling world as the Undertaker, had been a household name within the WWE going on twenty years, and his streak, his career even, did not show any signs of slowing down the older he got. Something she took great pride in because she knew how he felt about the business they had both called home.

"I wondered when the one true Diva would come back to us. But please, don't tell Michelle I said that, she gets a tad touchy when she isn't the shining star around here."

She listened as he laughed, his voice rising as he did, a sound she hadn't had the pleasure of hearing since her last appearance over two years before. At least the appearance where she had graced not only Raw but Smackdown as well. Hearing it now made her smile even brighter. This was one of the reasons she was glad she had accepted the invitation.

"Don't worry Mark, your secret is safe with me. How are you and Michelle doing anyway?"

"We're doing good. It was a rough start given how we met and me coming off the divorce from hell with Sara, but we've managed to make a pretty strong foundation for ourselves and the kids, so we can't complain."

Nodding and grinning in approval, she realized that Mark hadn't been a Raw superstar for years, so his appearance on the show or at least in the backstage area was a little off the mark and she found herself wondering why. Was this a big night in wrestling history and they were pulling out all the big guns, or had Mark come here knowing he would have the chance to catch up with her, an old friend?

"You're wondering what the hell I'm doing here aren't ya?" he asked, reading her mind, something he had gotten rather good at over the years, and again she smiled, this time allowing herself the wonderful feeling of really laughing. Some things really didn't change.

"You caught me, so what are you doing here?"

"Well for one, the minute they announced you were going to come on and guest star, and maybe even wrestle tonight, I didn't dare miss it. Seeing real women compete is a sport that I miss but I'm also here to watch over the wife after her match with Natalya."

Trish nodded in understanding. Michelle was current Women's Champion alongside her partner in crime Layla, and the newest feud going since Mickie had been ejected from the company saw her fellow Canadian against them.

"Well if you see her before I do, wish her the best for me Mark. I hate to cut this short but I've got to run and find Stephanie and Vince. I think it best that I know what the hell I'm actually doing out there tonight before I actually head out."

They both laughed again, knowing full well how everything was pretty much kept secret throughout the company in terms of what was on tap for each Raw, given that if it was leaked, people would decide sooner whether to tune in, which meant losing viewers possibly. Something they couldn't afford.

Mark hugged her tightly before letting her go, and the minute she walked away from the safety of talking to her old friend the feelings seemed to come back again. She knew that at any given point she would run into Randy, him being the current holder of the WWE Championship and she really was dreading it.

As much as she knew she had moved on since her time here, where her and Randy had become somewhat close, she knew it hadn't actually happened, the time and space had just erased it on a temporary basis, but it was still just as strong as ever.

The further she walked, she made out Stephanie's yet again pregnant frame. She had heard the news a short time before, and hadn't had the chance to properly congratulate her and Paul, realizing that now might be the perfect time. It would also help her keep her mind off the butterflies that were threatening to break through her body at any second.

Trish sped her pace until she was mere steps away from the future owner of the WWE but before she could reach out and speak to Stephanie, she felt a soft touch on her hand and again was taken aback enough to jump back in surprise.

She then came face with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. The same blue eyes that had once captured her, not that he had ever known, but they had taken her in none the less and their effect seemed to still be as strong as it was then, if not more so.

The very man she had been trying to avoid, wanted nothing to do with was now standing in front of her, his hand having been the one that reached out and made her jump, and there was no way around it, there was no way out.

It was definitely time for her to finally confront the man that had haunted her dreams for the last three years of her life. But when she spoke, she knew it wasn't going to be at all easy.

"Hey Trish. Welcome back."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

**Summary:** A one night return turns into a whole lot more for one ex superstar and the man that just couldn't seem to forget about her.

**A/N: **Warning, this will have a flashback in it, so the parts of the story heavy in italics are exactly that, so that there is no confusion. Thank you all for reading, and reviewing, I appreciate every bit of it =)

* * *

_**December 10, 2007 - 15**__**th**__** Anniversary RAW Broadcast**_

_Randy watched as she stepped back through the curtain, after putting the beating of a lifetime on Jillian in the ring mere minutes before. He had known she was in town for a special appearance and he ached to hook up with his old friend and catch up on what had happened in their lives since the last time they had come in contact. _

_Even now, as she was draped around Amy, one of her best friends within the company during their time there, he felt an awkward pang in his chest, one that he knew he shouldn't be having at all. _

_He was a happily married man, having married only two months before, to a woman he should be more then blessed to be married too. So why was he here now, watching Trish and Amy, and wanting nothing more then to just reach out and touch her?_

_She made her way past him then, seemingly not paying attention and just as he was about to walk away, to prepare for his own match that night, mentally putting his head back in the game, she turned toward him and her face lit up in a smile, and all mention of wanting to move on with the night faded from his mind._

"_Randy, I was wondering if I would get to see you before I left."_

_With those words, everything else seemed to evaporate from his mind and all he could do was stare, and smile. _

"_Yeah couldn't resist checking out what you ladies did out there. I'm sure the entire world is thanking you right now."_

_She laughed and despite knowing better, he felt his chest almost explode with the sound of it. Having just knocked out a girl for her horrible singing, standing here with her now, listening to her laughter, it was the complete opposite and he believed he was hearing the most beautiful music._

"_Well anything for a rise out of the crowd right?" she asked, her smile still lingering, before continuing. "So Randy how have you been, its been ages since we've gotten to catch up."_

_He knew she was right in that regard. He didn't keep in touch with her the way he had planned when she had retired the year before, and seeing her now, having her return a couple times a year, he felt like a heel. She really had been a saving grace to him over the years and not keeping some form of communication with her had not been his finest achievement. _

"_You just recently got married didn't you?" she asked again before he could answer, bringing him instantly back to his reality. _

"_Yeah, I finally took the plunge and got married."_

"_Are you happy?"_

_He should have been able to answer that question easily, but the more he stood here, allowing the reaction of being around her to affect him, he knew the answer wasn't quite as easy as it should be. It really was a loaded question._

"_Couldn't be happier." he said, openly lying to her, keeping his gaze firmly on her, smile in place, hoping against hope she wouldn't suspect that he was indeed not telling her everything. It really was better if she believed he was happy, even if deep down he knew that there was only one way he could be really happy._

_**The only way I could be happier is if you had been the woman I married, and agreed to spend the rest of my life with.**_

"_How are you and Ron?" he questioned, wanting a subject change immediately, not feeling at all comfortable realizing just how unhappy he was. _

_Her face changed then, and he instantly knew that things were not as happy with her, as he had made her believe about him and there was a strong part of him that wanted to pull her close and find out just what the man had done to cause this reaction in her at all. _

_**Don't even think about it Orton. You're a married man, and she's a very much married woman. You cannot go there.**_

"_We're doing okay. Its hard, me travelling as much as I do, him being home with the 'normal' job."_

_He nodded in agreement, the same situation happening between him and Samantha, and had been happening since they had met. There was nothing normal about the job choice Trish and him had chose and making someone on the outside understand that, was always the hardest part, no matter how much you loved them._

_Time seemed to click in for him then, as crew members started roaming around, Amy having wandered off on her own. He had a match to prepare for and as much as he would love to blow it off and just spend the rest of the night catching up with this woman before him now, he knew he couldn't._

"_I've got to get ready for my match, but before you head home, I'd love to grab a drink and catch up."_

"_Sounds like a plan Randy. Good luck out there tonight."_

_She leaned in and kissed his cheek then, a fire instantly blazing through his body, a reaction he had not been expecting and as she walked away, obviously ready to find her friend again, he couldn't do anything but watch her walk away._

_

* * *

_

Watching her walk towards Stephanie, having finished her conversation with Mark mere seconds before, he was forced to remember just what had happened the last real time they had talked.

He hadn't met her for a drink that night, he had instead gotten through with his match and left with the boys, knowing that first thing in the morning he had to fly back home to Missouri to be with Samantha and watching her walk now, confident, and assured, he knew he had made a mistake.

He should have taken her out, he should be spent time with the best friend he probably ever had, instead of walking out on her, yet again. Sure it was best back then, safe, but it didn't make doing it and living with doing it any easier.

Not wanting to waste another minute, he took his time and caught up with her, just as she was about to call out to Stephanie, and he touched her on the arm, as gently as he could. If he could screw up almost three years before, then he damn sure could fix it three years later.

He was not going to let her get away again, not when there was nothing holding him back anymore.

As she turned to face him, and he really took her in, her now brunette hair, making her eyes even more piercing, he knew that he had done the right thing. He could not let this chance go by again.

"Hey Trish, Welcome back."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

**Summary:** A one night return turns into a whole lot more for one ex superstar and the man that just couldn't seem to forget about her.

* * *

As the words dripped smoothly from his mouth, she listened and studied him all at the same time. It had been a long time since they had been in the same room together, and the more she got a good look at him, she realized he hadn't changed all that much.

His hair was shorter now, though it did look like there was a small attempt at growing it back. His eyes were still the same piercing blue they had always been, eyes that seemed to scream out to anyone around them, bringing them in, whether the person wanted to or not. In terms of his body, it was more toned and oiled then ever. He really did look like the years had treated him well, something she wasn't entirely sure she could say about herself.

"Thank you." she managed to choke out, averting her eyes then, not wanting him to catch on to the way she was so obviously staring. She had been dreading this moment, not wanting to give too many of her feelings away, the way she always seemed to and she knew the longer she stood here with him, the more obvious her discomfort was going to be.

She had to get out of here fast, no matter what it took.

"If you'll excuse me, I've got to talk to Stephanie, so I know exactly what I need to do tonight."

She turned then, planning to walk away and again, she felt the softness of his hands on her arm. No matter how many times he had touched her over the years this way, she never got used to it. No man she had ever come in contact with had ever felt as soft as Randy did, and it completely turned her inside out.

"Please don't go yet."

She turned and faced him again, this time looking him directly in the eye, determined to not let anything show. If he wanted her to stay, she would but why he wanted it, was beyond her.

"Why Randy? Why can't I go?"

She watched as his face scrunched up, like he was deep in thought, searching for just the right answer to give her. She could think of a few answers she would have liked to hear in that moment, at least from her heart, but she also knew that was not happening and she had to stop hoping that it would. Too much time had passed.

"I haven't seen you in what feels like forever and I really would like the chance to catch up with you. I know what happened the last time we tried this, but Trish I swear, that is not going to happen this time. I really do want to catch up."

Trish took his words in, all of them in order, piecing them together and trying to make sense of just where this was all coming from. Sure, she remembered the past, the time she had planned to meet up with him after the show and he had been a no show, not even bothering to call and check in with her. That was part of the reason now that being around him was so hard.

She couldn't allow herself to fall for that same old line again. Not when she wasn't a part of this business anymore, and she had a life all her own that she had to focus on. She deserved better then what Randy Orton had given her then, and what he most likely give her now, even though her heart was trying desperately to override that feeling.

"You're right, we did try this before, and it failed miserably, but I get it Randy, you were busy with your career, I was here for one night only, sort of the way I am right now, and well we just weren't meant to connect."

Even as she said the words, she knew there was hidden meaning underneath them all and she prayed with everything in her that he didn't pick up on it. The last thing she wanted was to give the man hope of something.

"That's part of what I want to be able to talk to you about Trish. I know what I did before, and I take responsibility for it, but I'm not the same man I was then, and if you give me just a few minutes after the show tonight, I will prove it to you. I really would like the chance to catch up with someone I considered my best friend."

_Best friend._ she played the words over in her head and realized that when they had both been working together so many years before, that was indeed what they had been and hearing him now, speaking differently, more mature and grounded, she wanted nothing more then to cave in and give him the chance to prove her opinion of him wrong.

"So will you meet me after the show?" he prodded, not wanting to push but praying with everything in him that something he had said already would go through and he would be able to make up for the mistake all those years ago.

He studied her, noticing that she was trying hard to conceal her feelings. After being around her as much as he had been for years he could tell it a mile away and the thought that he was getting through to her, brought a small smile to his lips. Something he had really been unable to do all night, other then the minute he saw her again.

"Yes Randy, I can do that. I will come by the locker room after the show tonight and if you still want to get together and catch up before you head out of town, then we can do that." she stopped quickly then, taking in a small intake of breath before speaking again.

"Now if you don't mind, I've really got to talk to Stephanie. I know I haven't said this, but congratulations on winning the title again, and good luck in your match tonight, though if your anything like the way you used to be, you don't even need it."

With a small smile and a touch on his hand, she strolled away, heading in the direction of the billion dollar princess, the queen of Raw, the very one that was going to give her direction tonight. But as she walked away, she couldn't resist looking back one last time, and when she did, was shocked to meet his eyes directly.

He smiled at her then, and despite her best efforts, her heart did little flips within her chest, something she was going to have to mentally beat herself up for later. It seemed no matter how long she had been away from the ring, coming back still caused the same reaction.

_I am absolutely head over heels in love with Randy Orton._


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

**Summary:** A one night return turns into a whole lot more for one ex superstar and the man that just couldn't seem to forget about her.

**A/N: **This chapter will be a song chapter. It will also be a tad longer then the others. The song used is "Why Don't You Kiss Her" and its by Jesse McCartney. For the record, I own no rights to the song used, and it solely belongs to the writers and artist. Thank you all for your ongoing support of this story. I appreciate it =)

* * *

_**We're the best of friends**_

_**And we share our secrets**_

_**She knows everything that is on my min**__**d**_

_**Lately something's changed**_

_**As I lie awake in my bed**_

_**A voice here inside my head**_

_**Softly says**_

He paced back and forth in the locker room, earning himself quite a few stares from the other occupants, his fellow superstars, who very rarely saw Randy act quite the way he was acting now. He even had to admit to himself that he was acting out of character, at least the character he had developed since the last time he had been put in this position. But he was powerless to stop it.

He was nervous, there was no way around it. The last time he had even come close to planning this, he had bailed on her, and he was determined that no matter what, that wouldn't happen tonight. He really was going to listen to his best friend John, and tell her how he felt, no matter how she reacted.

It had been years in the making and it was now time for the hidden secret of it to come to an end.

"Dude, you do realize you are walking a hole into the floor, and I really don't think Vince is going to want to pay for it."

He looked up suddenly, already aware he was earning a large number of stares, but not really expecting anyone to have the courage to comment on it. He had seen worse in the time he had been in the WWE and to date he still had never commented on it.

"John, you know full well why I'm walking lines in the floor, so I don't want to hear it. Come to think of it, didn't you do the same thing with Amy a little while back?"

The minute the words slid out of his mouth he knew he had hit the nail on the head with his best friend and if John had been planning on saying anything more, he wouldn't be doing it now. Which instantly caused him to smile. Sometimes being a quick smartass came in handy.

"Yeah, lets not go there. I know what you plan to do tonight Randy, I just think walking a hole in the floor isn't going to make it any easier."

Randy sighed then, knowing John was right. Hating that he was right even more then knowing. Leave it to his best friend to again be the voice of reason.

_God I really hate having him be the calm and rational one in this friendship. Its going to end up going to his head soon._

As soon as he thought it, he laughed, causing John's face to look even more confused then he had originally.

"You are planning on doing what I said right?" John asked him then, throwing him right back in the conversation he really didn't want to have but knew he needed.

"Yes John, what you said was right. I can't let her walk away again. I can't bail on her again and I won't."

John went silent for a moment, and Randy noticed he looked to be thinking on something, which in their line of work, was never entirely a good thing. John didn't keep him waiting long.

"Have you given any thought to what you are going to do if she doesn't feel the same and walks away for good this time?"

"I can't think about anything but that John, but thanks for calling even more attention to it. I know there is the chance that me telling her this, both of us being divorced and single, could result in her walking away again, not feeling the same, but like you said, I can't let her walk without telling her how I feel first."

_**Why don't you kiss her**_

_**Why don't you tell her**_

_**Why don't you let her see**_

_**The feelings that you hide'**_

_**Cause she'll never know**_

_**If you never show**_

_**The way you feel inside **_

"I know Trish from her time here dude, and honestly, from the way I saw the two of you back when you both ran the road together, I'm willing to bet that at some point in that time, she felt the same."

"Now lets just hope she feels the same now huh?" Randy replied instantly, knowing that deep down, that was really what he was wishing for. He couldn't allow him to think of the possibility that she wouldn't. It was the only thing making this admission easier to take.

* * *

_**Oh I'm so afraid to make that first move**_

_**Just a touch and weCould cross the line**_

_**Every time she's near**_

_**I wanna never let her g**__**o**_

_**Confess to her what my heart knows**_

_**Hold her close**_

She gave one last farewell to the fans in the middle of the ring, having made one last appearance after the main event, to give the hometown fans what Vince and Stephanie both believed would be the highlight of the night. More time on camera and live with her.

As she made the long trek up the ramp, turning one last time to look out over the arena, fans now starting to stand and make their way out, the show having officially come to an end, she swallowed heavy, knowing what was going to take place as soon as she walked behind the curtain.

_You have to go and meet Randy Orton._

She mentally shook off the words her mind was speaking to her, really enjoying the moment that she had before it all came to an end. Even watching the fans leave for the night, back to their lives, the show over, the fairytale put on hold for another week was fascinating to her, even years after she had retired.

Deep down she knew she wanted to take her time because of the meeting she had with Randy, the man that a few years before had been her very best friend, but she also knew that once she walked out of the arena tonight, she had no idea when she would have the chance to be back again.

Hitting the curtain, she was met instantly by Stephanie, who wrapped her arms around Trish instantly, crushing her into a hug that a few years before probably never would have happened.

"You were brilliant tonight Trish, really. Thank you for agreeing to come in and do this, not only for my family but for these fans, your fans as well."

"Your welcome Stephanie. I have to admit, I was more then a little nervous, coming back again after so much time away, but it honestly feels like I never lost a step."

Stephanie smiled at her then, and sensing someone behind her, turned a little to the side to allow entrance to whomever it was. Seeing the WWE Champion move into the spot she vacated, she smiled knowingly.

"That's because you didn't miss a step, or lose your way Trish. You will always be a part of this business, and part of the reason that the Women are taken a bit more seriously then they used to be. Now if you'll excuse me, Paul is waiting to take me home."

She again hugged Stephanie, and watched as the future owner of the company walked away, and she was left standing awkwardly with Randy, who she noticed was now wearing his signature smirk, one she used to actually love so much, but was now confused by.

_**Why don't you kiss her**_

_**Why don't you tell her**_

_**Why don't you let her see**_

_**The feelings that you hide'**_

_**Cause she'll never know**_

_**I**__**f you never show**_

_**The way you feel inside**_

"I thought we were going to meet at your locker room Randy."

He nodded, then spoke, obviously feeling the need to explain just what he was doing here, when he should have been waiting and pacing back in the locker room area.

"I know we agreed to meet up after the show, at the locker room area, but I told you earlier, I wasn't going to make the same mistake I did the last time and in saying that, I thought it might mean more if I waited here for you."

She felt her heart soften instantly, understanding completely just why he had chosen to do it the way he had. If she allowed herself the ability to let her guard down, she had to admit she was very thankful he did.

"It's fine Randy, and thank you for doing it this way."

_Just shut up and do what I want you and kiss me._

She wanted to say so much more, her head was screaming at her, blocking her from all rational thought all together, but she knew now was just not the time, no matter how much her heart and mind was screaming at her otherwise.

_**What would you say**_

_**I wonder would she just turn away**_

_**Or would she promise me**_

_**That she's here to stay**_

_**It hurts me to wait**_

_**I keep asking myself **_

"Do you need time to freshen up or anything before we go?" he asked lightly, the awkward silence between them something he just wasn't used too and wanting to end it as quickly as possible.

"No, I didn't really wrestle and being out there under those lights is extremely hot, but its nothing I cant handle. It's not like you have anything fancy planned right?"

When he nodded his head in the negative, Trish took a deep sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted, knowing what she wanted to say to him tonight was something heavy and fancy.

"Then lets go." he smiled as he said the words, and again she felt her heart pounding in her chest, the words on the tip of her tongue, just dying to escape, being forced down with as much strength as she could muster.

"Yes, lets go."

He held out his arm to her then, the way he had done so many times before, but hadn't in so long, she had almost forgotten this trait about him. Hooking her arm though his, they headed off, for what was surely a night Trish would never forget.

_**Why don't you kiss her (tell her you love her)**_

_**Why don't u tell her (tell her you need her)**_

_**Why don't you let her see**_

_**The feelings that you hide'**_

_**Cause she'll never know**_

_**If you never show**_

_**The way you feel inside...**_

_**

* * *

**_

As she hooked her arm though his, he felt his entire body electrify. He had an urge to jump back from the shock of it, but remained calm as they walked out of the arena. He tossed a look in her direction, when he was sure she wasn't paying attention and he realized just how much he wanted to tell her tonight, and how badly he wanted her reaction to be the same as his.

But more then what he had to say, he had one thing he wanted to do and he really hoped that by the end of the night he would get to do just that.

_What Randy Orton wanted more then anything in the world on this night in his personal history was to really get to kiss the girl he was with. _

_**Why Don't You Kiss Her?**_

__


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

**Summary:** A one night return turns into a whole lot more for one ex superstar and the man that just couldn't seem to forget about her.

* * *

"Some things never change."

As they entered the fast food restaurant, one that on so many different occasions, they had used, and the entire locker room swore by, mainly for their hours of operation, Randy looked at Trish questioningly.

"What's that supposed to mean Ms. Stratus?"

The grin on his face was hard to hide. He always had a hard time staying completely serious whenever he was around her and this time was shaping up to be no different. When she had agreed to meet with him after the show, it had done things to him that he hadn't thought possible and being here with her now, having it work out, there was no hiding his true feelings.

The one thing Randy found though, was that, in this case now, he really didn't want to hide it. He really was here with the person he wanted to be with and it was about time he showed it.

"Denny's Randy? Really?"

He laughed lightly before speaking. "Well you did ask if it was anything fancy, and I did say no. I figured this would be the best option."

She nodded her head, and Randy watched in awe as the smile crept across her face. He was sure in that moment he had died and gone to heaven because he was seeing the brightest light before him.

"You did say it wasn't fancy, and this is the best place Randy. I just couldn't resist ribbing you for it."

He couldn't help but feel in that moment that this was beginning to feel more and more like old times, when they had run the road together as road partners for the short while they had, and they had spent more then one night in a Denny's just like this one.

"You hungry?"

"Not really, I ate before I came to the show, but a coffee would be wonderful right now."

"Then one coffee coming up. Find us a spot where we can catch up and I'll be back."

He walked away then and Trish took that moment to really take in what was happening around her. She was sitting in a Denny's with the man she had always considered her very best friend, for as long as she could remember. So much had happened over the years though and now it was either make or break time in terms of getting back what they had once been able to share.

_You want to share more then just friendship and you know it. _

Her mind spoke out to her, and she instantly pushed the thought away, but not before actually finding that in this case again, her mind was absolutely right. There was always more under the surface for her and Randy and as much as she wanted to work on her friendship with this man again, she wanted more as well.

As she watched him flashing his smile at all the people that worked in the restaurant, a trick he had done on more then one occasion before, usually setting off a flutter among the workers, she realized that even after all this time and despite all of the things she wanted to say to the man, she felt extremely at peace and comfortable with him.

A completely different feeling then she had gotten when she had arrived at the arena hours before.

She allowed herself the chance to smile as she watched him intently, the way he seemed to exude confidence, even after all this time. The way he seemed comfortable in his own skin, like nothing could touch him, something she found she admired a lot. Also something they shared as people always told her she seemed so sure of herself at all times.

Even in this instance, knowing there was so much she wanted to get off her chest, she was managing to keep it together. Before she knew it, he had returned to where she sat, and the minute he spoke he pulled her away from the shameless staring she had been doing.

"So Trish, how have the last few years been like for you?"

_Nothing like cutting right to the chase huh Randy?_

Thankfully she thought it and caught herself before she could let the words slip from her tongue, giving her a real chance to think of her answer.

"I started my own yoga studio with a few women I went through high school and college with, and it seems to be a strong concept that turned into a very smart business venture. I got married to someone who I assumed was my forever, then got divorced him a short period of time later. Became a workaholic, sort of the way I did when I was in the WWE. I guess some things really don't change."

He heard her speak so lightly about her marriage and he immediately wondered just what had taken place between her and the man she had married Ron. He had heard a lot about him over the years, because Trish had never been shy about sharing what was going on in her life, especially with him, but with the time that had elapsed, he hadn't been sure what to expect, but he found himself wanting more.

"Do you like running the studio?"

"Absolutely, though with teaching classes, private meetings, the business end of it, it doesn't exactly give me a chance to have a life."

"Just like the WWE." they both said in unison, causing a fit of laughter the minute the words were out of their mouths.

"Like I said, some things never change. I think you might be able to finish my thoughts for me like you used to as well." She stuck her tongue out at him then, and before he knew it, he leaned across the table and did the only thing in that moment her tongue came out that he could do.

He pressed his lips to her, lightly at first but deeply after a few seconds, catching her tongue, and wrapping it up into his. Randy had no idea what had come over him, but the minute she had playfully stuck her tongue out at him, he knew he couldn't waste the opportunity, nor silence the voice in his head, that had been screaming for him to just kiss her.

He pulled away after a few seconds, and sat back down in the seat, watching her face for any kind of reaction, whether it be happiness or disgust. He watched as she buried her head down, and his heart instantly hurt.

Was it possible that kissing her the way he had, with no warning had possibly ruined any chance of them really getting to know each other again? Had he really jumped the gun and ruined it before it began?

"Trish, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

She looked up at him then, a small tender smile braced across her face, but still not enough of a reaction to allow Randy the ability to relax, but when she spoke again, he instantly felt his world shake on its axis.

"Nothing to be sorry for, I'm kind of glad you did it first."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

**A/N: **Thank you all for the reviews for this story thus far, I appreciate every single one of them and have even spent some time reading them over and over, because in the end, your enthusiasm makes this story a real pleasure and joy to write, even more so then it was when I came up with the idea. You all mean the world to me =)

* * *

He was sure he hadn't heard her right, so he kept replaying every moment in his head again after the kiss. Had she really said that she was glad he had done it first? He studied her face, the way that even now she was averting her gaze away from him, not wanting to catch his eye.

"_Nothing to be sorry for, I'm kind of glad you did it first."_

Was it really entirely possible that she had wanted the same thing as him this entire time and had the same voice in her head edging her on, wanting her to kiss him? Or had he just imagined that reaction because it was the one that his heart wanted most?

"Did it first?" he choked out, almost afraid to call attention to it but knowing that it was the only way he would ever get the real answers.

She nodded, her lips remaining tight and locked, and he ached, wanting her to actually talk to him. He felt awkward enough having kissed her the way he did, not waiting for a better time, a proper time. Having her be silent this way, it did not exactly lock his confidence.

"Talk to me please, what did you mean by that Trish?"

She sighed then, the first sound she had actually allowed past her lips since the words he was still trying to make sense of, and he instantly felt his chest, his heart beat just a little bit faster.

"There's nothing to talk about Randy. For a brief minute I wanted you to kiss me, I wanted to kiss you. That's all it was."

His stomach dropped then, her words so cold, distant, making him wonder if he really had made something out of nothing and she really was not there with him, that she didn't feel the same, though knowing deep down that in the moment their lips touched, she had felt something.

He wasn't delusional, when they kissed, there had been a spark, a moment where they both had gotten lost. So if that was the case, why was her reaction changing so much now?

"There's more to it then that, but if you want to play it that way, we can do that."

There was an enormous amount of time where silence overtook the table where they both sat, and if Randy had had hair, he would have surely pulled it out. When he had invited her out after the show, he had wanted to take things slow, feel her out, get to know the woman all over again, and in a way, he had screwed that up the minute he had let his heart override his head. Something that he was not known for.

_Then again whenever you get around this woman, you aren't Randy Orton anymore, you are someone else._

He knew it was true. He had built up a persona over the years, and the only person that had ever been able to break that, had been the woman before him now. Trish was the only one who had seen through the BS he had created and wanted more from him, and he had done his best to give it to her.

He enjoyed being someone different with her, the person that deep down he knew he wanted to be all the time.

He heard her speak then, her voice as always sounding like the sweetest melody and he was broken away from his own thoughts and back to the present.

"So you asked about me, and I told you, so what has your life been like since the last time we got to catch up?"

He noticed that she had completely let go of what happened between them and had changed the subject back to what they had been doing before this night. It was obvious that she didn't want to focus on what had happened and for the sake of wanting her friendship more then anything else, he was more then willing to let it go.

For now.

"You know I married Samantha, it was pretty much written about everywhere, given that no one ever assumed I would ever walk down the aisle with anyone, least of all her. We had so many ups and downs dating, that marrying just seemed to bizarre to everyone, including me. We did it though, and she gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen in my entire life. The reason I even fight to breathe everyday."

"Alanna right?" Trish asked, when she was sure he was done speaking for the moment.

"Yes. Samantha and I never did work out the way both of us had hoped and dreamed for, but in the end, I wouldn't change a second of it because it gave me that little girl and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for her."

Trish felt her heart soften yet again listening to him talk about his daughter the way he did. The one thing she had wanted to do in this lifetime of hers was have a family, have a child of her own, or of that wasn't possible, to have a child belonging to the person she loved, that she in the end could love as well.

The more he spoke of her, the harder she found herself falling. She had loved Randy long before he became a father, but hearing that he was a father, and that he was a very involved father, it made her want to reach out to him more.

"If you had asked me a few years ago if I ever would see you as a father, I would have told you no. Randy, you really have changed a lot and its really nice to see."

She wanted to say so much more, reach out to him, touch him, hold him, tell him that the man he had become, even the man he was before was the man she loved more then anything else in the world. That he was the one person in her entire life that she could never walk away from and forget.

The words though, no matter how much she wanted to say them, just wouldn't come. It felt like hitting her head on a brick wall every time she opened her mouth to speak.

"Can I be honest with you about something Trish?"

"Of course Randy, I wouldn't have it any other way."

He took a deep intake of breath then and Trish knew that whatever he was about to say, was going to be rough for him and that it was going to possibly be the most serious thing he had ever said and she couldn't stop her heart from beating in her chest, secretly hoping it would be something she herself wanted to hear.

"When we used to run the road together, I was not the man I am now. I was an immature boy, who thought the world owed him something just because I had a talent. I thought I could get any girl I wanted, get what I wanted from her and toss her aside. I was a horrible person. The only time I didn't feel horrible was the times when I was around you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

**A/N: **This will be a song chapter which means it will most likely be a little longer then most of the chapters. The song used is by **Jesse McCartney **(sensing a trend with me here? Lol) named **Because You Live**.

* * *

_**Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart**_

_**It's the end of the world in my mind**_

_**Then your voice pulls me back like a wake up call**_

_**I've been looking for the answer**_

_**Somewhere**_

_**I couldn't see that it was right there**_

_**But now I know what I didn't know**_

"_I was a horrible person. The only time I didn't feel horrible was the times when I was around you."_

She heard those words above all others resonating in her mind, calling out to her. They had kissed mere minutes before, her trying her best to get past it and act as if it didn't phase her, and now here he was with the words he had just spoken and it was crystal clear in her mind.

What she had been needing to tell Randy tonight, to finally admit and get off her chest and conscience, was apparently exactly the same thing Randy also needed to do. It made her feel warm inside to know that her biggest fear was pretty much being thrown out.

Was it really possible she was reading this right and Randy really did feel the same way she did for him, about her?

"I made you feel less horrible?"

Randy nodded, and immediately reached across the table and put his hand gently on top of hers, the feeling of his soft hands again hitting her from head to toe, like the deepest electric shock. A reaction she was still not used to having, least of all with him, after all the time that had elapsed.

"You would laugh at me when I acted stupid, you would tell me straight when I was acting like an asshole; you were just not afraid to speak your mind with me, and every single time I got around you, it felt like I could be the real me, even if I made mistakes because you weren't judging. You just wanted to help."

"That's because that's all I did want to do Randy. I know this is going to sound so cliché, but I went through a lot of things when I was younger, and I learned a lot, women learning faster and all of that-"

She stopped then, smiled a little, taking stock of the sight before her, Randy's hand on hers, and how natural it felt, before she continued again.

"So when I saw you, making your way through life, being pushed hard into a spotlight I don't think you were quite ready for, all I wanted to do was be there for you, not judge you, and help you. I don't know how much help I was, but in the end, I did what I could."

He tightened his hand around hers then, picking it up slightly from the table and staring at it, much the same way she herself was doing.

_**Because you live and breathe**_

_**Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help**_

_**Because you live, girl**_

_**My world has twice as many stars in the sky **_

"You were more help then you realize. I can be a better father to Alanna now, because of the time you spent with me, and I guess that's why I wanted you to come out with me tonight Trish. I couldn't let another year or more go by without telling you how I felt."

She felt her throat seize up inside her body as he said the words. It had now reached the point where they were being open and honest with each other, the way they had always been, without missing a step, except in this case, it was a long time in the making.

"And what exactly do you feel Randy?"

Her voice was unsteady and she knew it. She was dying to know the answer to this question, but at the same time felt like fainting with the anticipation. Would his answer really be the one she sought so deeply?

_**It's alright, I survived, I'm alive again**_

_**Cuz of you, made it through every storm**_

_**What is life, what's the use if you're killing time**_

_**I'm so glad I found an angel**_

_**Someone**_

_**Who was there when all my hopes fell**_

_**I wanna fly, looking in your eyes **_

She had asked him the million dollar question and he knew the time had finally come to give her the answers she so desperately deserved, and he should have done years ago. If there was an opening to escape, Randy couldn't see it and he knew that no matter what the end result, he had to make sure she left tonight knowing just what his real intentions were.

"I'm in love with you. I have been in love with you for the past 5 years or more. I never told you, never once because the fear of rejection was so heavy, I just didn't want to deal with it. The reality is, you deserved better then the old Randy, you deserved the man before you now, the one that doesn't want to waste any more time."

He locked his eyes on her, trailing her body from where the table met her chest all the way to the tips of her hair, her head bent just slightly so that her reaction could not be clear in his eyes. Pushing her hair out of her face with one hand, he placed the other hand on her chin and lightly brushed it up until he could look her in the eyes.

The answers he wanted would be there, and once their eyes locked, both shades of blue staring deeply into each other, he knew the answer he had secretly prayed for was the answer he was going to get.

"Is what I see in you, right Trish?"

Her words next were a mere whisper, her eyes not turning away from his for a second, but lightening with each passing second.

"Is what right Randy?"

"Could you possibly love me too? Could you have wanted to tell me the same thing tonight? Have we really been in love with each other all this time and both been too stubborn and stupid to say anything?"

The questions were pouring out of him and no matter how much he wanted to stop it, to give her a chance to process what he was asking and really give him an answer, it just showed no signs of slowing down, and he really hoped he wasn't pushing ahead too fast.

There was no way he wanted to go fast when it came to this woman. To the feelings he had held onto for the past 5 years. He wanted more for her, with her. Time could just stop.

_**Because you live and breathe**_

_**Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help**_

_**Because you live, girl**_

_**My world has twice as many stars in the sky**_

_**Because you live, I live **_

He went silent then, his entire being mentally tapped out from what he had just admitted and the eagerness to hear her answer to him. To either put him out of his misery and tell him she didn't feel the same, or agree and take everything happening right now to the next step.

"When I walked away from the WWE in 2006, I did it for two reasons, I wanted to give Ron a life, one where I was home more then I was away, but I also left because I felt the need to hide."

"From what?" he asked, wanting to know what had made her feel the need to hide all those years ago.

"I was engaged to be married to another man, yet I was in love with the man I ran the road with every single week. I couldn't take it anymore, and it wasn't fair to either of you. So I walked away. My career was nowhere near over, but I wanted a real life, or at least a taste of one. So I walked away from the WWE, and from you."

If he allowed himself the ability, his mouth would have fallen open at her words. She had just admitted the one thing he had been praying she would. She had loved him. It didn't say that she loved him the same way now, but at the very least she had been in love with him, at the same time as he had been her.

"And now?" he choked out, again feeling his heart beat within his chest awaiting the answer that would come.

_**Because you live there's a reason why**_

_**I carry on when I lose the fight**_

_**I want to give what you've given me always **_

"Seeing you every time I came to RAW, it still affected me the same way as it did Randy. Which is why the last time, when you didn't show, when we didn't get the chance to catch up, after years of not speaking, it broke my heart. It was the main reason I dreaded doing the show tonight."

"You didn't want to run into me?"

She nodded before continuing. "You asked me what about now, and truthfully, the reason I agreed to meet with you tonight, against my heads better judgement was because I felt that the time had come for me to tell you, once and for all that I loved you then, and that despite all the time that's passed, both of our divorces and time spent away from one another, well I feel the same."

"You feel the same?" he knew when he asked it, what she meant but there was a part of him that wanted to hear her voice the real words. The words that would surely mark his heart forever. The angel before him now, admitting that she indeed loved him just as much now as she had then.

_**Because you live and breath**__**e**_

_**Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help**_

_**Because you live, girl**_

_**My world has everything I need to survive**_

"Randy Orton, I have loved you for 5 years, and that hasn't stopped at all, not even when it was better to have it stop. So me feeling the same means exactly what I said. I love you now, just as I did then and I don't think I even know how to make it stop, or if I even really want it too."

He stood from the table then and made his way around, pulling her instantly to her feet from her chair. He wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could, wrapping her warm body, the very body he had dreamed about loving for years, around his, and pulling his head back slight, again bringing her head up so he could look deeply in her eyes for a split second, he did the only thing left to do in that moment.

He kissed her.

_**Because you live, I live**_

__


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

**A/N: **For the record for the people that asked, yes I am a Jesse McCartney fan. Its becoming almost healthy obsessive. So don't be shocked if you see another song by him used in here later on down the road. That being said, thank you all for the reviews, it means the world to me =) Time will move forward in this chapter, so you have been warned.

* * *

Trish entered the studio, sliding her coat off and dangling it from her arms, as she headed for the serenity of her office. Before she could get back the reception area though she saw the dark shade of red, mixed with the tender color of baby pink and stopped dead in her tracks.

Sitting on the reception desk, was the most elegant display of roses, venturing from light pink all the way to the dark red. There was only one person that this exact arrangement could be from, and she felt her cheeks turn the same shade as the flowers as she thought of him.

It had been a week since they had met up after Raw and true to his word before he had left to go back on the road, defending his WWE Championship, city to city, he had kept in constant contact.

She smiled to herself at the thought of the past seven days having a call in the later hours of the night before they both went to bed, where Randy wasted no time telling her how he felt and where she had no problem at all admitting that yes she felt the same.

If anyone had asked her a few weeks before if she would be where she was sitting now, having a new relationship with a man that she had been in love with for so long she had lost count, she would have laughed at them. She really assumed the time for her and Randy had passed long ago. To have it in her life now though, she felt nothing but blessed that she had done the right thing and admitted how she felt, right along with him.

"Well look at that, it looks like someone got spoiled today!"

Trish turned around, away from her thoughts, away from the warm feeling that was penetrating her heart and turned to see her best friend Megan standing mere steps from her, a knowing grin across her face, and all Trish could do in that moment was revert back to being a child in love, and blush.

"So whose the lucky guy?"

"Randy." was all Trish could manage, but given the amount of time, years that Megan had known her, and had listened to her speak of the very man in question, she knew just the name alone would be enough.

"So you finally told him how you felt?"

Despite a week having gone by, there really had been no time for either of them to get together and talk about what had taken place the week before. There was so much Trish needed to let her friend in on, and while they both had appointments in just a few short minutes, there was no better time then the present.

"I did. Well truthfully, he told me how he felt first and it just happened to be the exact same way I did."

Megan's smile the moment Trish admitted what had taken place was almost big enough to mirror her own, and she realized in that moment that her friend was happy for her. Megan had always been by her side, through every bad dating experience and even her failed marriage and all the while just wanted to see her friend happy. Trish being happy now, and practically glowing, really did put Megan at peace, it was obvious.

"So when do I get to meet Mr Wonderful?"

As soon as the question was out, Trish realized that she really had no idea how to answer it. When Randy called her, or she called him on their brief times free of all responsibility, it hadn't come up when he would get the chance to visit with her again. Given their schedules though, that wasn't entirely shocking, but now that her friend was asking, she found she wanted to know.

"Right now, him having to ride the road as hard as he is, we haven't really planned anything. But the minute I know something, I will make sure you get to meet him."

Touching her friend on the shoulder before heading off into her own office, Trish watched her walk away and realized that having Randy meet Megan might be exactly the thing to do, and soon. If she was as serious about him as she felt in the moment, then it was only natural for him to be around the woman she considered family.

Enjoying the solitude for one last moment, she picked up the roses and made the slow long trek to her office, now more then prepared to tackle the long day of classes and appointments ahead. Her mind dancing around with thoughts of Randy and hoping that in that moment, he was thinking of her too.

* * *

"If I didn't know any better, I would think someone got lucky last night."

Randy looked up at the sound of the voice behind him, as he dumped his gear down on the bench of the locker room. They were in a show in New Jersey, and as much as he wanted to go out there and put on a show, he had to admit that his mind was on being back in Toronto again.

_You want to be back in Toronto because exactly one week ago you left your heart there._

The thoughts in his head were exactly right, and while he was close to the man that was now speaking to him, he knew that was something he felt was better kept to himself.

"I've been getting lucky all week John. You should really try it sometime. Might loosen you up a little."

John laughed and shoved Randy on the shoulder before throwing his duffel bag of ring gear on the ground beside him.

"So I take it that the plan for last week went the way you planned?"

Randy couldn't hide the smile on his face. He had always been tight lipped about his feelings, the only thing allowed to show was the persona, but something had happened last Monday that had changed him even more from the man he used to be and he was powerless to stop the affects.

"Better then what I planned man. Which reminds me, you were absolutely right."

"I usually am."

"Smart ass." Randy quipped, before heading off towards the shower, needing desperately to wash away the sweat and dirt of the hours long road trip he had just endured. His mind still locked on the last conversation he had had with Trish and how much he wished they could be together right in this moment.

"Do I dare say it?" John called to him, causing Randy to stop in his tracks.

"Say what?"

"I think our WWE Champion, our resident Viper, just might be head over heels in love."

Randy grinned then, bigger then he ever had, not afraid to show his best friend, the man who had been through hell and back with him just how he was being affected by the woman he could now call his.

"You can say it, and I'd have to say that you might just be right."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be lol

* * *

Turning over in her bed for what felt like the hundredth time that night, she again noticed the digital time on her alarm clock and groaned lightly. She had no idea why she was so restless, having had one of the hardest days of her life that day, but here she was at four AM, and had still not been able to close her eyes and actually sleep.

Sliding herself up into a sitting position, her back against her many pillows, she allowed her mind to go back over her last conversation with Randy, only a few short hours before.

They both knew that admitting how they both felt and then going back to their every day lives apart from one another was going to be hard, but both of them had such a strong determination to make things work that they hadn't really discussed how hard it really would be.

Hearing Randy earlier in the night though, remembering how he sounded, how listless and lost he seemed to feel and knowing deep down that every day that passed she felt the same way, her heart went out to him.

She let her mind replay the conversation over in her head again, for some reason not wanting to forget a second of it but knowing deep down that she had to do something about it.

"_Baby I miss you. I knew I would but this is bad."_

"_I know Randy, I feel the same way, but what can we do about it? You've got to be there, and you know I can't just up and leave my job."_

_Always the voice of reason, Randy sighed into the phone, knowing that his girlfriend was right. There was really nothing they could do about this distance but there was no way he had to like it. All he wanted in that moment was her there in his arms. Everything else ceased to matter. This was his reality._

"_When's the soonest we can be together?" he asked, Trish noticing the pain in his voice instantly, her heart crying out to be able to give him the answer he sought so badly._

"_Earliest is next week."_

"_We need to make it sooner. I miss you Trish. So much I can't even focus on being the WWE Champion anymore. I'm thinking of asking Vince to pull the belt off me. I can't be what they need me to be anymore."_

_She knew what he meant of course. She had reached that point numerous times in her career, the most recent being when she was about to marry Ron so many years before. She knew she couldn't give the WWE what it wanted when her mind and heart was locked into family mode. Which in turn was another reason she had walked away. _

"_Could you really handle not being Champion anymore Randy? I know how much having that title means to you."_

_He had gone silent then, and after a few minutes of the same dead silence, she questioned if he was even still there. When he spoke next though, she knew why he had gone silent. He had obviously been thinking about her question._

"_There was a time where I wanted nothing more then this stupid title and all the damn perks that came with it Trish, but that all changed the day you walked back into my life again. All I want now is a life with you."_

_She replayed his words over in the few seconds after he spoke them and she knew deep down that she wanted exactly the same thing he did. She was getting older every single day and she wanted nothing more then to start her journey with this man and build a real life together._

"_And all I want is you Randy. We will make this work, if its what we both want. I will do whatever I need to do, to get to you sooner, but please, if I don't get there til next week, remember that I love you. Please don't forget that."_

_After a few more soft spoken words of love the call had ended, and as Trish had replaced the phone into its base, she realized that in the end nothing had been resolved, or fixed. They were still a million miles apart and missing each other._

Letting the phone call memory slide from her mind again, she looked again at the clock flashing the time, and then she looked at her empty suitcase sitting in the corner of the room and not wanting to think about anything else anymore, she slipped from the bed, her decision made in that moment.

She was going to Randy and thought she couldn't stay long, she had to do it now.

Next stop: Baltimore, Maryland, right where Randy wanted her.

* * *

"You can't mope around this room all night Randy, so just suck it up and come out with me. It might be just what you need to take your mind off not having Trish here."

John and Randy had arrived in the city hours before, and had chosen to share a room, cutting costs as they always did in the hotels city to city, and now John was trying his hardest to get Randy to come out with him.

Randy could do nothing but roll his eyes and feel the emptiness inside himself. He had just spent the last two hours on the phone with his girlfriend, wanting nothing more then to have her here, in that moment but unable to obtain it. The last thing he wanted to do was head out with the very much single John, and spend the night being hit on by random women, but making John understand that was like talking to the walls.

"You just go John. You know I wont be very good company, and I might even stop you from getting laid."

John laughed then and threw his friend a look. "Since when would you stop me from getting laid?"

"Have you seen me lately?" Randy asked, allowing himself the joy of being able to laugh. "Now go look at yourself and tell me if it would stop you from getting laid, having me with you."

He knew it was cocky of him to say, but he also knew John would get it. Which judging from the smile on his face, his friend very much understood what Randy was getting at. Though apparently it wasn't going to stop him.

"You need to get the hell out of the room and come enjoy yourself. Even if all you do is sit there and drink, at least you wont be in here surrounded by the four walls, missing the love of your life. I did that long enough to know it isn't productive."

Randy knew his friend was right, but still didn't want to chance anything by going out. Seeing John before him though, tapping his foot impatiently, awaiting Randy's answer, he felt like he was put between a rock and a hard place.

He owed a lot to John in the last little while, so not giving himself another chance to change his mind, he nodded his head.

"Fine, you talked me into it, but for god sakes, make sure you keep all those ring rat women to yourself."


	12. Chapter 12

******Disclaimer:**I do not own the rights to any of the WWE Superstars listed within this story. All events are purely fictional and any relation to real life is purely my insane psychic ability, but I assure you, it wont be

**Authors Note****:** It's been a very long time since I wrote this fiction, even longer without an update but over time it seems that it has gotten some action in terms of readers and reviewers and because of that, and also because I have recently found my urge to write again, I believe the time has come for an update. I'm only hoping that as I continue it, I do it justice like the way it was written before.

* * *

He knew this wasn't a good idea. Sure being out with John was alright, his best friend always knew how to have a good time but where Randy would have been right there with him before, now things were completely different and he just wasn't feeling it.

When Trish had walked back into his life he knew that whatever happened he was going to change and sitting here now, in the club watching silently as his friend got his groove on with the multiple women on the dance floor he knew that he had indeed done it. Changed. He was no longer the same Randy Orton.

Before he would be out there with John and now all he wanted to do was sleep until he had the chance to see her again. She occupied his mind in ways that he used to hate but now more then welcomed. All he wanted to do was be with her and her alone.

He had done as John had said of course and was now on his fifth drink since they had come out a couple of hours before. He had never been one to pace himself when it came to drinking, and he was sure given the way he used to be that he would have had more drinks in his system by now, but he was already starting to feel it with the five he had.

She wouldn't want him like this he knew that. No, Trish wouldn't want him sitting around missing her this way when he could be out and enjoying himself with friends the way he was now. Even if John was busy entertaining a hundred other women at the time, they were still there together and he knew he owed it to his friend to at least seem interested in what was going on around him.

John chose then to head back to the table where Randy sat, lost in his thoughts, almost like he had a sixth sense about where Randy's mind was.

"Come on man, I can't dance with all of these women alone. You gotta help a brother out."

"Man, you're drunk. Maybe you just need to sit down for a bit."

John had been drinking far more then Randy had been since their arrival, taking it so far as to have drinks on the dance floor with him. Even if John had done this a million times before it didn't stop Randy from worrying about him. There was only so much the human body could take after all. Eventually it was going to hit him and when it did, Randy wanted to make sure he was there. God only knew where his friend would end up if he wasn't.

"No Randy, what you need to do is loosen up. For fuck sakes just forget about how much you miss Trish for a few hours and have some fun. You do remember what that is right?"

Of course he remembered but his priorities had changed. It wasn't just about Trish. He was a father now, and with that came the responsibility of making sure he kept up the right appearance and image. Not to mention he really was starting to believe he had grown out of all this partying. There was definitely more to life for him now then this but he knew in the state he was in, John would never understand that. He was still caught up in living for the moment.

"Yes I remember but this isn't my idea of fun."

"How do you know if you don't at least try it. Look, the next drink is on me and then we're gonna go out of there and we're gonna dance with some lovely ladies and live a little. If you still feel like shit after, we'll leave."

Leave it to John to come up with a compromise. One that Randy wanted no part of but knew he wouldn't get away with ignoring or saying no to. When John was drunk, he didn't have the inner button telling him when to stop pushing. No he pushed until he eventually got his way. The allure of being able to leave sooner then intended though appealed to Randy. Maybe he could do what John wanted this time and get the hell out of there.

"Fine, you got yourself a deal Cena."

As John headed over the bartender, Randy took another look around the bar. He saw a few of his fellow superstars floating around, all single and all talking to what looked to be eligible women or at the very least the most put together ring rats he'd ever seen. He really was beginning to feel like the odd man out in the room, something he had never been before.

John made his way back then, passing the shot glass of whiskey along the table to him.

"Drink up buddy. This is your feel good juice. No more sitting around sulking over the girl. Tonight's about us."

Randy downed the shot quickly, slamming it down onto the table, flashing the signature Orton grin in his friends direction. If John wanted him to play then he'd play. Anything he could do to get the hell out of here faster and back to Trish and what he felt was his real life.

"Alright man, lets go make some women very happy!"

* * *

**4:00 AM**

Trish looked at the time on her watch in confusion. Surely it couldn't be that early in the morning. Even though she knew the time was right and why it was suddenly that early when she had arrived in town hours before, she was still stunned that there had been no sign of Randy or John that entire time.

Just where were they and what were they doing at this ungodly hour?

Maybe it came from all of the years she had spent away from the business but she always made sure to be in bed at a certain time every night, and it was most definitely never this time of night. Or morning, depending how you looked at it. No, even now her body was telling her she needed to find a bed and fast because sleeping on a hotel hallway floor was definitely not doing it for her tired bones.

She had arrived hours before and talked her way past the front desk given they all knew who she was from her time within the WWE, and had made her way to the door. After knocking for what felt like forever, she had made herself comfortable on the floor, sure that the boys had probably just gone out for an after show drink and that they would be back any time now.

Next thing she knew, she was waking up and staring at the time on her watch and realizing that if they had gone out for a drink, it had to have been one hell of a drink.

Where this would have concerned her before, she was secure this time in the fact that Randy really had changed and that even with him being out this late, that nothing was going on. She also knew that if something bad had happened to him she would have just known it deep inside. She felt a connection so strong with him that she knew her body would tell her if that was the case.

She couldn't help but wonder just what was going on though. When she had spoken to him only hours before, he had sounded so lost and lonely. She would have bet money that he would have been staying in the entire night.

_Maybe he's actually in the room sleeping and didn't hear you banging on the door._

There it was, her mind trying to come up with explanations for why she was still sitting alone outside of her boyfriends hotel room and not inside with him the way she wanted to be. She knew it was a possibility but at the same time knew that had he been in there, he would have woken up to the pounding. She hadn't exactly been quiet about it near the end attempts she had made to gain access.

The elevator door slid open then in tune with the chime that it made as it reached the floor. Someone was coming and Trish couldn't help hoping that it would be Randy getting off the elevator. As she saw the passengers all pile off she realized that she had gotten her wish because walking towards her now, was John Cena and Randy Orton.

The only difference between her vision of him coming off the elevator and that of what she was now witnessing was that neither man was alone. No, there were three women with them, one of which seemed to be holding Randy up, or at least trying to as they walked ever so slowly toward her.

"Come on big boy, the party is just getting started."

Trish saw him smile then and her heart sank. She had been witness to that smile so often when they were together that she had begun to believe he had reserved it only for her but watching now, as he smiled at this unknown woman who was walking with her arms around him she knew that wasn't the case.

She also knew what the woman meant by what she'd said. Randy had indeed gone out on the town with his best friend and not having Trish in town meant that he could very well go back to being the way he had always been and bring a woman back with him.

She really had wanted to believe he had changed but what she was now witnessing before her now, showed that not to be the case. No he was still the same playboy. The same Randy Orton. He hadn't changed a bit.

As they got within a couple feet of her, reality seemed to dawn on John as he noticed her there, now standing instead of sitting the way she had been for the past 5 hours.

"Trish!"

Randy looked up then and after a few seconds of blinking away the blurred vision he had been experiencing since the club earlier with John, he saw her and he immediately felt sick to his stomach.

His girlfriend was indeed standing there in front of his hotel room, the look of shock and hurt paramount on her beautiful features. Had she made plans to visit him and he just forgotten about them or was she there as a surprise. With the amount of liquor he had consumed over the last few hours he couldn't be sure anymore. It was amazing he could even remember his name.

"Baby," he said, making a move toward her and watching as she flinched and backed away in response. "How long have you been here?"

She didn't respond right away, just staring at him, head to toe, taking all of him in. Trish could smell the alcohol just wafting off him and in that moment she wanted to be anywhere but where she was. The man she loved, had loved for years was now standing before her, two women on his arm, the other on John's arm and he was coming toward her like there was nothing wrong when in reality now everything was wrong.

It didn't take a brain surgeon to know what was going to take place from this moment on, had she not been here and knowing that, the sick feeling it created within her, made her want to run, as fast and as far away as she could go.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you'd have company. I need to go."

She pushed past them then, making sure to stay as far away from Randy's grip as she could, not wanting to feel even the slightest touch from him now. Everything she had pictured in her mind, of their life together, what they could be as a couple, even as co-parents to Randy's daughter blew up in her mind.

She picked up her pace then, from a fast walk to a run. No, everything she believed about the man she had confessed to love had been wrong. He was still the young and immature boy he had been when she had known him, qualities that she had overlooked quite often back then, and even attempted to change in him during their time together as friends.

It was all wrong. All a lie and the only way to fix this now, was for her to get as far away from the lies as she could.

As she stepped out into the staircase, she could hear him calling after her, but she knew given his current state, he'd never be able to catch up with her. No what she needed to do now was get the hell out of here and away from the cause of her pain.

She had to get away from one Randy Orton.


	13. Chapter 13

**Authors Note:** I started this story damn near three years ago and somewhere along the way it just felt away from me. I'm glad I get the chance to come back to it, even now, so that I can finish it right. That being said, it's not finishing for quite a while yet, but I know where I want to take it, which is more then I knew a few weeks ago when I decided I wanted to fix it. So to those of you that have reviewed thus far, thank you very much for taking the time to do so, its actually helped me WANT to finish this one right again. In other news, classic rock just might be the best music in the world to write a wrestling fic too lol. So on with the chapter shall we?

* * *

**1 Month Later**

Everything was falling apart.

This was not the first time Randy had been down this road of course. No he had been there when Trish had left the company before, and even more so when he was going through the motions of leaving Samantha but this time it might have just reached its peak.

Since that fateful night at the hotel when he had come home, a woman on each arm, unable to recall how he had gotten quite that wasted off of what he had been drinking earlier in the night and seen Trish standing there, her heart breaking right in front of him, everything had just fallen apart at the seams.

He could remember her running from him clear as day in his mind even though the rest of the night and even what had taken place before it was all coming up empty. He saw the sadness in her eyes, the disappointment at finding him the way she had, and he knew that his cavalier attitude that night had brought all of it on.

John had attempted to bring him out of his loneliness. He had gone with him agreeing to a deal that he never should have made knowing his past history. No, this one night he had reverted back into the Randy Orton of old, a person he had hoped he would never see again and in doing so had ruined the most important thing in the world to him aside from his daughter. Now, here he was sitting in yet another locker room, a month later, no closer to fixing any of it. He had officially reached rock bottom.

It started with Trish running from him that night. Then it turned into him walking into Vince's office a week later, after attempting in every way possible to get a hold of her so he could explain himself, and giving the belt back. No longer wanting anything to do with it and all that came with being the Champion.

He had agreed to lose it on live television and they would write him off with an injury but he hadn't wanted to completely leave just yet. He knew wrestling would always be in his blood and he still very much wanted to do it, but the thirst one gets from being a champion he just didn't have anymore. So he lost the belt to his good friend John on a Monday Night Raw, and had been working house shows ever since.

After losing the belt John became distant with him, and Randy couldn't understand why. He had lost the girl and now it was beginning to seem like he had lost his best friend too. The only thing that brightened up his days any was when he got to talk to Alanna on the phone, because there wasn't any bad feeling in the world that couldn't be wiped away with a few words from his beautiful daughter.

When he wasn't talking to her, he was drinking, and taking pills that he probably shouldn't be, and he didn't care if he failed random drug screens because he had begun losing hope and once that began to take place within him, there was no going back.

Randy knew he was falling into a pit that he might not ever be able to pull himself back out of but he didn't care. The liquor soothed his heart when nothing else could. He didn't miss anyone when he was drunk. He didn't care at all. He began cycling his way through ring rats, like the Randy of old and had even earned the playboy name from the others in the locker room again. Something that would have made him happy before, but just made him feel even emptier now.

He had to get her back. He couldn't do any of this without her. Everything was painful without Trish by his side. He had run out of options though. With her not taking his calls, not allowing him entrance when he went to visit her at her studio, or even when he showed up unannounced in full stalker mode at her home, he was at a loss as to what he could do next.

When he had told her that he loved her, he had meant every word and he had no doubt that if he hadn't gone out with John that night, they would still be together now and going strong. That was what he wanted then and it was what he wanted now. He just needed one shot, one opportunity to tell her and show her how he really felt and he was sure he could make all of this better.

Sleeping with countless women, drinking himself to death every night he was alone, it was doing no good and he needed to change it but he couldn't do it alone. He had always been independent, and had always done everything on his own, fighting tooth and nail along the way but he just had no fight left in him anymore.

He dialled the number again, knowing already what the response would be but not wanting to give up. Giving up would mean that he had moved on and it would prove whatever she believed about him now to be true and he would be damned if he let that happen. He had fucked up royally but giving up and walking away was not his style.

"Stratusphere Yoga Studio. Megan speaking. How may I help you?"

Megan. Trish's partner or assistant or whatever she was. The same woman he had spent the last month dialling and speaking with and getting nowhere. He knew she must be sick of him now but he didn't care. He'd call a million more times if it meant that eventually she would take his call.

"Megan, its Randy again. Look is she there? Can I talk to her please?"

"You need to stop doing this Randy. It's not good for either of you. I've given her every message you've left with me but it doesn't make a difference. I don't know what happened between you two but right now she just needs space to deal with it and you need to respect it."

"I do respect it but I can't fix everything I broke if you don't let me talk to her. Please Megan, I'm begging you."

The line fell silent then and Randy thought that maybe he was getting to her. That Megan would finally cave in and give him the chance he needed. As he waited with baited breath to hear what her decision would be, he heard the locker room door open and a few of the guys come spilling in, one voice distinct over all of the others. John Cena. The reason any of this was happening at all.

"Hey man, having another by phone booty call with the missus?"

Randy was about to turn around and give him a piece of his mind but he heard Megan speak again, bringing him back to what was most important in that moment. Getting time alone to speak to Trish.

"I'm sorry Randy, I can't. I can tell her you called and that you want to talk to her but I can't lie to her and put you through. It just wouldn't be right."

The line clicked then, as she hung up the phone and Randy wasn't sure what he wanted to do more, throw his phone or cry. Both of them summed up his feelings in that moment. Instead he chose to do neither and instead turned his attention back to his former best friend.

"You know it's not that John and you know the reason why its not, so why don't you just can it with the jokes okay?"

"Hey man, don't get pissed at me because your girlfriend showed up when you were out having fun without her."

He stood up then and made his way over to where John stood, getting straight up into his face.

"Yeah and who talked me into going out that night huh buddy? Who made the deal with me that if I danced with a few of the women, we'd end up leaving and going right back to the hotel?"

"Me, but you enjoyed it, so don't even say you didn't."

"If I had such a good time John, why the hell can't I remember any of it? Even when I used to get wasted before with you, we always could share stories about the shit we caused the next day. No instead this time I don't remember any of it and you and I didn't even talk the next day."

If Randy was truthful with himself he knew that something more had gone on that night, something that John hadn't told him but until now he hadn't even questioned it. As things in his life became more dire though, he felt like he had to know. Just what the hell had happened that night that had not only made him lose the love of his life, but also his best friend?

"Easy. You got more wasted then you have in years. So you blacked it all out."

"Yet I can remember what happened with Trish that night clear as day, including chasing after her and falling on the stairs? John just what the hell aren't you telling me?"

When John spoke next, Randy felt his entire world spin on its axis. He had been right the entire time, something more had gone on that night, something that explained everything away. He had still screwed up but it hadn't been him doing it.

"I gave you something alright man? You were wound up so fucking tight, so I gave you something to unwind you."

Randy hadn't gotten drunk on purpose. He hadn't cheated on Trish of his own free will. Nothing he had done that night that he could remember was entirely his fault. All because of what John had done.

John had drugged him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Authors Note**: This chapter seems a tad bit weaker in terms of the writing then the others, but sometimes you just need a filler chapter or some such to get to the really important parts. So with that being said, enjoy the chapter, reading and reviewing means a lot to me but I also want to thank those of you that have come back to this story, almost three years later, and are reviewing and telling my how happy you are that I revived this. I appreciate it more then you know. Enjoy!

* * *

"He called again."

Megan had entered her office minutes before, offering up the news that Randy had again called. Not letting go even after a month of hearing nothing. When she had run that night at the hotel, she knew that it was going to end up this way but with each passing day she felt herself breaking down. It was taking every bit of strength in her not to take at least one of his calls.

She missed him. She missed the way that he had made her feel. How dedicated he had been to making sure that the mistakes of the past were rectified. It didn't erase the fact that he had gone out that night and basically cheated on her with not one, but two women but the way he had spent weeks making her feel after they had reconnected was still pulling strong within her.

_If I forgive him then it just gives him the idea that I'm accepting of that kind of behaviour, and I'm not. So as much as I still love him, I can't go back. _

"What did you tell him this time?"

"That I couldn't lie to you and put him through. He seems really destroyed over this though Trish and it's pretty obvious he won't give up anytime soon."

If there was one thing she knew about Randy it was that he never gave up on something he wanted. When he had been on his quest years before for the World Championship, he had been the same way. Determination was his middle name. He hadn't given up then either and had ended up being the Champion on more then one occasion. In this case she knew it would be the same. He wouldn't give up until she gave in. Something that right now she wasn't entirely prepared to do.

"If you don't mind my asking, what did he do? You seemed so happy when you left here that night."

If she told Megan what had happened with Randy, it would be the first time she had spoken openly about it since it had happened. It played heavily in her mind of course, daily, something her mind couldn't let go of. Speaking out about it though, she wasn't entirely sure that would make it any easier to deal with but if left alone with her own thoughts, she was eventually going to go crazy.

"When we finally met up, he was drunk and had two ladies, and I use the term loosely hanging off each arm. I knew that he wouldn't be expecting me but I really wasn't expecting to see that either. Especially after the way we had left things on the phone only hours before."

"Didn't you say that he had reformed? That he wasn't drinking anymore?"

"Yes, because whenever we were together he never drank. Not one drop. I mean we would order wine over dinner and if he had one glass it was shocking. He never made it through that. He really wasn't the same Randy that I remembered from my time in the WWE. It was different but I was proud of him."

"None of this makes any sense."

That was where Trish and Megan differed. To Trish it made perfect sense. For months he had been putting on a show with her. Making her believe that he had really changed when in reality sitting there lurking under the surface he was the same Randy Orton of years before. He was still the playboy. The party guy and he was still doing it with his right hand man by his side. It was common knowledge the way Randy and John were when they rode the road together and now, as all of it came flooding back, it was true that nothing had really changed.

"Whether it makes sense or not, it happened and there is nothing that can be done about it now."

"I don't think you really believe that."

One of the things Trish had liked about Megan when they'd begun working together had been how perceptive she was and how easy that made things on a daily basis in working with her. Seeing it in action right now though, Trish wasn't sure how she felt about it. Maybe Megan was being to perceptive for her own good. In any case, she was right.

"I've spent the last month of my life just floating through my day to day life. I know that feeling well because ever since the divorce with Ron, I had been doing the same thing. At least until I went back into the WWE and reconnected with him again. The day to day routine of going through the motions was changed and I actually felt like I was living again. I thought that I would have that feeling forever, but as it turns out, it just wasn't meant to be."

Megan hated seeing her boss this way. They had grown close over their time working together and seeing her this way now, when she was normally so strong and determined, it was heartbreaking. Trish deserved to be happy. For the first time in years she had finally seen her boss happy again and it was all because of Randy Orton, the very man that had now caused her the pain she was going through.

She knew that she shouldn't get involved in their personal business but with as hard as Randy was trying to talk to Trish and with as lonely and heartbroken as Trish herself was now, sitting before her, maybe it was time that someone did step in and set them both in the right direction.

What he had done was wrong, there was doubt about that, but everyone deserved a second chance. Megan knew that Trish believed that if she talked to Randy it would just be allowing him to do this again to her in the future but she didn't believe that. Sometimes a mistake was just a mistake.

"What harm can come from just hearing him out? I mean if you don't like what he has to say, or even if you don't believe or trust it, at least you can end things properly. The reason you haven't been able to get past the pain is because you haven't dealt with it."

Trish knew she was right. That if she really did want to end all of this the right way then at some point she was going to have to talk to Randy, but right now, with the way she was feeling it couldn't be right now. She still wasn't ready. She needed more time.

"I just can't do that right now Megan. It would only cause more hurt."

As the conversation ended at a standstill, Megan left the office and went back to the front, back to work and the yoga students that were no doubt waiting for their class to start. As she did though, she went back to it more determined then ever to figure out a way to make this right and the first step in doing this was reaching out to the one other person that could turn this all around.

Picking up the phone she dialled the number and waited as patiently as she could for his voice to pick up on the other end. She knew she was overstepping boundaries with this but after witnessing her bosses behaviour for the past month, she had been left no choice. She had to do her part in making sure that this worked out.

"Yeah?"

"Randy?"

"Yeah, whose this?"

"Megan, we spoke earlier."

"Oh, hey! Is everything alright? Is Trish okay?"

The concern in his voice, especially after what Trish had said he had done was shocking. For someone who had willingly gone out and cheated on his girlfriend a month before, he seemed extremely concerned about her welfare. Something that Megan was not accustomed too. When one cheated they usually did it because they wanted to get as far away from the relationship as they could by taking the easy and cheap way out.

"Well no, everything isn't alright. Trish is physically fine but emotionally she's a wreck and that has to do with you. I can't stand seeing her like this."

"Why do you think I want to talk to her. I need to explain what happened. She doesn't know everything that happened that night. I need to be able to tell her. I can't lose her."

"You seriously want to fix this?"

He sighed into the phone giving Megan more then enough information then she'd asked for just from the sound of it.

"Yes. I want to fix it more then anything. I love her Megan and I wouldn't EVER willingly hurt her."

"How fast can you get a flight to Toronto?"

"I can be there tonight, but if she won't see me, what's the point?"

"The point is, I believe you when you say that you wouldn't willingly want to hurt her. You wouldn't be so freaking persistent in calling here everyday if you were. You're bordering on harassment with what you're going through to talk to her. I have a plan. If you're willing."

The line went silent for a few moments, only their collective breathing tying up the line. Randy played over what Megan had told him, what she believed in and he knew that if there was any chance of getting within a few feet of Trish, it was going to have to be through her closest friend. If Megan had a plan then he was all in. He had nothing left the lose.

"I'm willing. Call me in a few hours. I'll give you my hotel information then. And Megan, thank you for believing me."


	15. Chapter 15

After what had felt like the day from hell, complete with migraine headache, Trish was primed and ready for a night of relaxing as she pulled into her driveway. Megan had asked for the afternoon off so that she could attend to some business, something that Trish could easily comply with. It wasn't often that her friend asked for time off, and with the amount of extra time she put in lately, granting the request was probably the easiest part of the day decision wise for her.

It also meant that she wouldn't have to answer any more questions regarding the current state of her love life. Or lack thereof in this case. No, after admitting to Megan what Randy had done to make their relationship implode, the last thing she wanted for awhile was another long heart to heart. Not because she couldn't use it because she could, but she just didn't have energy in her for it. Or for anything else lately.

She had tried ignoring the way she had been feeling as of late. How tired she would become out of nowhere, how sick to her stomach she would get, even when she hadn't skipped a meal. With everything she had been going through emotionally she was sure it was all tied in together somehow. Which made her less likely to question it but the longer it went on, the more she found that she couldn't ignore it anymore.

Which brought her right back to the present and what she had to do now that she was finally home and alone. She had taken time between appointments earlier in the day to make the trip to the drugstore and now, home with what she had purchased, it was do or die time. She had to find out once and for all if this sick feeling she had been experiencing could be what she was beginning to believe that it was.

She made her way into the bathroom and with shaking fingers, slid the box out of the bag. Staring at it really taking it in for a few moments, she felt her stomach roll over in knots. She wasn't ready for this, any of it. Not ready for the answer, whether good or bad, not ready for the fallout if it didn't go the way she wished it would. She wasn't sure she could take anymore pressure on an already heavy heart.

_You have to know, one way or the other. You can't just ignore it anymore and hope it goes away._

Of course her mind was right in its assumption. She had been putting it off for almost a week now, but it didn't make any of it any easier. She really did wish in that moment that ignoring it would work and everything could just fade away.

But life was never that easy.

Building up as much resolve as she could, she opened the box and pulled the product from its package, taking a moment to read the instructions to make sure there was no chance of a screw up, at least on her end.

No this really couldn't be happening to her right now. Not when everything was seemingly falling apart around her. When her heart was broken and she was dealing with everything alone. No this was the last thing that she wanted to happen.

If she was honest with herself though, there had been a time, a long time ago where she had wanted nothing more then for this very thing to be happening in her life. She had wanted this, and she had wanted it with him. Now though, everything was upside down and having it happen would only bring more agony to an already agonizing situation.

Taking the time and following the instructions, she prepared herself for the waiting game that would follow. Setting the timer on her phone, she sat down on the closed toilet seat and began to wait it out. As the seconds ticked by, she felt like she was going to lose her mind. It took everything in her not to stare at what was before her and will it to answer her worries faster.

Before she could reach that point of insanity though, she heard the doorbell, faint but there.

_Saved by the bell._

Trish made her way out of the bathroom, leaving all thoughts and worries in the room as she shut the door and made her way down the stairs. She wasn't sure who would be showing up at her door at this time of night but whoever it was, in that moment she was eternally grateful.

Opening the door and praying that it wasn't Randy making another impromptu visit to the house, she was surprised to see who was standing there. In the seconds before he realized she had opened the door and was standing there looking at him, she took in his body language. Something was wrong. He looked like a wreck.

"John! What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

She was pretty sure that it went without saying that she meant with Randy when she asked if something had happened. After leaving the WWE years before she hadn't kept in contact with all that many people and right now the only one that stood out paramount in her mind was Randy. Surely everything was fine and nothing serious had happened to him.

She wasn't sure if she would ever live with herself if it had. Even if they weren't together anymore the last thing she wanted was for Randy to be in any danger.

"Trish, I'm sorry to stop by without calling but can I come in please?"

"Of course."

She moved out of the doorway and allowed him entrance, motioning him inside with a wave of her hand. As he came through, he made his way toward the living room area instantly finding himself a seat and making himself at home. If she didn't already know John to be the kind of guy he was, she would have found this odd but instead she just went with it, her mind again on what was waiting for her upstairs.

'What's going on John?"

"You might want to sit down for what I'm about to tell you. It's not pretty."

Her heart immediately seized in her chest. Something was obviously the matter based on what John had just said. Which made her urgency to make her way back upstairs to the waiting bathroom even more important. If he was about to tell her something about Randy, then she needed to know one way or the other what was waiting for her upstairs.

"Okay, I will, but I will be right back. I left something running upstairs and I should probably turn it off."

Smiling before making her way back up the stairs, she almost raced to the bathroom, again shutting herself in.

It was time, she had to find out if this was what was going on with her. Especially now with John waiting downstairs to tell her something she so obviously wasn't going to enjoy hearing.

She picked up the stick then, the white porcelain colour of it shining as she did and she turned it over within her hands. It hit her then, the shock of it all. She had indeed gotten the answer she had been looking for.

Because before her now was a test, showing a bright blue plus sign, almost like a bright fluorescent light begging for her attention. There was no more cause for debate. Trish now had her answer, once and for all.

She was pregnant.


	16. Chapter 16

**Authors** Note:I know that with the previous chapter, none of you were expecting it. It's funny because out of everything I've written thus far since I came back in terms of this story, that last chapter was the one thing that I remembered wanting to do three years ago when I started this story, and with the current events being the way they are with Trish, I thought it fit in nicely especially now. So now that I hope the initial shock is over, on the with the next chapter shall we? Thank you so much for the support guys. You really are the reason this story is being written. Much love and respect.

* * *

_Get yourself together Trish. You're not alone. John is downstairs and is waiting to talk to you. You can't lose it now. _

She had been sitting in the bathroom giving herself the same mental pep talk for what felt like hours, when in reality it had only been a few minutes. Time had stopped the minute the results of the pregnancy had come through. She was still frozen in a state of shock, almost of disbelief even though deep down she had known what was coming even before it happened.

Her entire life she had always had to walk through the fire to get to what she really wanted. Why should this be any different? When she had married Ron, they had tried for kids and it had never worked. Back then she hadn't been under the belief that it wasn't happening because it was meant to be with Randy but now, the more she thought about it, and with the way her life always seemed to go, it was definitely a possibility.

Someone was obviously letting her know that something of this magnitude wouldn't just happen with anyone. Though having it happen now, when things were so far up in the air as far as her love life was concerned, didn't seem right either. Though it did go hand in hand with her having to walk through the fire again to achieve something she had been desperately wanting to happen for years.

"Everything alright up there Trish?"

John. Of course. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that again she had forgotten that he was waiting for her downstairs. Giving herself one more mental pep talk she made her way out of the bathroom and towards the staircase where she could see the shadow of Randy's best friend at the bottom waiting for her.

"Yes, sorry about that. I got sidetracked for a moment."

She made her way down the stairs and again followed John back into the living room area where again she motioned for him to take a seat, a motion that he reciprocated back to her. Obviously what he had to say was so important to him that he believed that she to needed to sit in order to take it all in. Complying with his silent request she decided to get the ball rolling.

She had to know what he was doing her and what if anything it had to do with Randy. The sooner she found out how grave the situation was, the better she could prepare herself to deal with whatever it was.

"What's going on John?"

"I screwed up Trish and it wasn't just a little screw up. No this was pretty big and I haven't been able to live with myself since."

He had her attention now, even more so then he had when he had first shown up at her door. Just what could he have possibly done that was causing him this much discomfort and more then that, what did it have to do with her?

John and her had always been friendly with each other. Not so much since she had walked away from the WWE years before but when they had both ran the same roads day in and day out, especially with the way he felt about Amy at the time, it had brought them closer. No one knew Amy better then Trish and John had known that back then, and had used it as much as possible to try and move forward with the young Diva. That was as far as their interaction went though, so for him to be here now, it was more then a little confusing.

"What did you do?"

He sighed then, running his hands over his face, almost willing himself to speak, to get what he had to get out, no matter what the consequences.

"Before I tell you, I just want to say something if that's alright. I mean I don't want to overstep boundaries but I just think you need to hear this."

"Alright I'm listening John. Say whatever you need to."

"When you left the WWE, shortly after your marriage to Ron, I watched as it slowly began to tear Randy apart. I mean he went from being a fun loving ribber to this empty shell. You know when a candle burns so bright and then once you blow it all, once the smoke fades away there's just nothing left? Well that was Randy. He stayed pretty much that way, even as he won the title belt and moved up within the company. He was never quite the same. At least not until a couple of months ago when you came back."

_So this was about Randy. _

Trish knew a lot of this given that her and Randy had been pretty forthcoming with each other when they had reconnected weeks ago but hearing it now from John, with a difference voice, one of an outsider watching his friend go through the motions, it gave her that much more insight into what her leaving had done to him back then.

It had done the same amount of damage to her too even though she had been the one that had made the decision. She had wanted to work on her marriage to Ron, to really make it work because she felt that with the way she was feeling for Randy, buried underneath everything that she wasn't giving her husband the real her. The person he deserved to have. She had all the right intentions but it had been all for nought as it hadn't worked out anyway.

All she was left with now was knowing that she should have never left the WWE, or at least she should have never left it without telling Randy how much he had really meant to her back then first. Going back now wasn't an option though. They said everything happened for a reason and this was just all further proof of that.

"When you came back," John continued, breaking her again from her own thoughts and back to the reality of the situation before her. "It was like the flame had been reignited in him. He was brighter, happier and god help me, even more determined then he usually was. He was determined that night that he was going to tell you how he had felt back then, how he still felt now and I'd told him to go for it. I knew that you were the missing piece in his life, I'd always known it and when he went for it, I was happy for him."

"Well that's great that you supported us John, but what does that have to do with anything happening now. I mean you didn't make him do the things he did to me a few weeks ago. He made those choices on his own."

She watched as he seemingly became more uncomfortable as she spoke and suddenly she realized just what he might be doing here. He was here for his friend. He was attempting to do whatever it took to make it right. If he had supported them in the beginning then this was his way of seeing it through, eve though it had nothing to do with him.

"What if he didn't Trish? Would that make any difference?"

"I'm sorry, I don't get what you mean John. What do you mean what if it didn't? I think its obvious that he very much did make those choices on his own. He's a grown adult John, just like the rest of us."

"He was so morose that night. I mean it was like watching him revert back to the way he had been when you had left years before. He was sad. He was lost. You weren't there with him and it was like a piece of him was missing."

That night. The night that everything had imploded and blown up in both of their faces. The night Randy had made the choice to cheat on her. Hearing John speak of it now, only confirmed what she had known before she had gotten the first flight out that she could have to be with him. He had sounded exactly the way that John had described and it had made her make a decision, for the both of them, one that she now regretted more then anything.

"I know all of that John. I heard the way he sounded on the phone that night, which is why I did what I did and grabbed the first flight out to be with him even though I knew it was going to impact my business."

"Please, just let me finish alright? I need to get this out."

Just nodding, she motioned for him to continue as she sat back in the chair and opened herself up to just listening to what he so badly needed to say.

"I didn't think you'd show up and I wanted my best friend to have a good time. To loosen up and just be the way he used to be with me. I couldn't bare watching him revert back to the way he was. Not this time. So I took him to the club with me. There were a few other guys there with us, but for the most part it was just us the way we liked it. He wanted to go back to the hotel, he was out of place there and I knew it. I should have listened to it. That's what a good friend does but I didn't do that Trish. I didn't do what he wanted."

Again he ran his hands over his face, very obviously struggling with what he needed to get out. Whatever he was about to say was tearing him apart and Trish wanted to help him, to speak and talk him through it but knew instinctively that it wasn't what he wanted. He had to do this on his own. Though for the life of her she couldn't figure out what was so horrible that he would react this way.

"I told him to drink with me, dance for a bit with a few of the random women I'd met since I'd gotten there and then we'd go back to the hotel. He didn't want to agree and I knew that but I pushed, like I always do until he caved in. He agreed to do it and then well, everything went to shit."

"John what are you saying?"

"I drugged him Trish. He didn't know but I laced his whiskey with GHB. I wanted him to loosen up so badly and just have a good time. I didn't think it would get that out of hand and then when it did, instead of putting a stop to it, I just ran with it and I've been running with it ever since. God Trish, you think that he went there that night to cheat on you and he just didn't. While it happened, he wasn't the reason that it did. I was."


	17. Chapter 17

**Authors Note:** This story has been such a pleasure to write for all of you. Thank you again for coming along for the ride with me, even if it ended three years later. This is not a final authors note, there are still a few more chapters to go, but I felt that it needed said again. There would be no me, at least in wrestling fan fiction without all of you.

* * *

Randy couldn't believe this was happening. He had touched down in Toronto only a few short hours before and now here he was, in the hotel lobby waiting for the one person he knew could get him closer to the woman that he loved then anyone else in the world. He had kept his word and had called her upon reaching the hotel and informed of her of where they could meet.

Megan didn't know him, nor what his real motivations were so he knew he didn't want to ask her up to his hotel room. Despite what had happened before, he did not make a habit of bringing random back to his room and he once he had made the mistake he didn't plan on doing it again. What had happened that night with John had been yet another eye opener for him, for so many reasons and he wasn't planning on ever making the same mistakes again.

Trish may not believe him to be the man he had admitted to her that he was but that wasn't going to stop him from desperately trying to be him. He had fallen over a month ago and now was the time for him to pick himself back up and fight harder for what he wanted. To be the perfect combination of the Randy Orton of old and the new and improved version. Megan was going to help him do just that and prove to Trish once and for all just what kind of man he really was.

For the last month he had been haunted by the same dream. One that no matter how much he drank, or how far into the darkness he seemed to go, he just couldn't let go of. The same dream that had affected him almost six years ago. The dream of a life with Trish. One that he had wanted so badly then but wanted desperately now. Where he could bring Alanna home with him, and she'd really be walking into a home, something that ever since the divorce she hadn't had. One of the many things he wanted to give his little girl that he couldn't. One where it wasn't just him, Trish and Alanna but more children. The perfect existence. Something that with what had happened seemed so far away.

With Megan's call though faith was restored in that dream and he would do whatever it took to make it happen. He loved her and there was no way he was going to give up again and walk away. Not when he knew what could really be between them. No he was going to meet Megan, they were going to come up with a way to make all of this work and he was going to show Trish Stratus once and for all how much she meant to him. No more running away.

"Randy?"

Hearing his name, he shook himself out of his thoughts and looked up to see a young woman standing just off to his left.

"Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Megan, thanks for agreeing to meet me. I know you're busy."

"Not so busy anymore actually and honestly there is no other place I'd rather be right now."

As he shook her hand he watched her. He had gotten into the habit a few years before, of watching people and their body language when dealing with him. She could have been like most of the women he came into contact with and she could have been almost frozen solid, in what John liked to call 'fan-girl' mode, but she wasn't. She stood firm, and confident. Like she was sure of what she was doing there and planned to see it through. He couldn't have been happier if he'd tried. This is exactly what he had been hoping for when she had called him.

"You said that you wanted to talk to me about Trish?"

"She's a mess Randy. She's not eating, she's barely sleeping and not only is it affecting her day to day life, its also affecting her work. She's spent more time this week sick and in the bathroom then actually in the classes she's set up. Ever since the incident with you went down, she's been an entirely different woman then the one I know."

Well at least they had been acting the same. Randy had been deeper in his despair but they had still been going through all of it in much the same way. They had reached their own personal self destruct modes. Trish's was not eating and sleeping, his happened to be drinking and sleeping with random women. Neither of it was good and it needed to end and it had to end today.

"Well what can I do about it? She won't see me, she won't take my calls and until you called me earlier, I had no way to get to her to show her how sorry I am for everything that happened. I'm at a loss. All I know is that I need her back, I want her back and I won't stop until we're together again."

"Yeah, I get that. Which is why I'm here. You said earlier that there was more to the story that Trish didn't know. Can you tell me, or is it too personal?"

"No, I can tell you. That night, the night everything went so horribly wrong. I can't remember any of it and I couldn't understand way. I have always gotten drunk and remembered everything, even when it was stupid, the next day and this was all a blank. Other then the time period where I remember her running away from me at the hotel. I found out why."

"What did find out?"

"My best friend, the person I trusted more then anyone in the world aside from Trish and my father, he drugged me. I know that I did some really horrible things and I know that saying I was drugged seems like I'm not taking ownership but I swear to god I don't remember doing a damn thing that night. I wouldn't have done the stupid shit I did. Not when I was so determined to be with her."

"Does she have any idea about any of this?"

"No. Like I said, I'm blocked from speaking to her everywhere, and if I get any closer to her then I have been I'm gonna end up in jail for stalking. I want to tell her this, I want to be the one to do it so she can see that I'm not lying but if I can't within 5 feet of her, how the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"You listen to me, and listen closely, that's how. I told you, I knew instinctively that you weren't THAT guy. You wouldn't have waited this long to be with her only to hurt her, so I'm going to give you your chance."

"You're really going to help me?"

"Yes I am. But Randy, don't screw this up."

"Well then let's get started. What do you have in mind?"

She laid out her plans to him then, in as much detail as she could, getting his input and even adding in her own. Randy was amazed. He had known that she wanted to help him, that she even believed in him but he had no clue just how much she wanted to help and how far she was willing to do. With Megan's help, this might actually work and he couldn't be more excited.

He had waited years to even tell Trish how he felt about her, there was no way in hell he was going to wait another day to get her back in his life. Whether she liked it or not, he was coming for her and he wouldn't give up until they were together again.


	18. Chapter 18

**Authors Note:** Given the way I want the chapters to go as we reach the final stretch for this fiction, this chapter may be shorter then the others just for the purposes of having the story set up right. I expect that the next chapter will be longer in comparison though, so that should make up for it. Enjoy!

* * *

"You..what?"

She was in shock. Surely she hadn't heard him right. There was no way, with as close as John and Randy were that he would have done this to him. No, she had to have heard him wrong.

The man before her now was beaten down. The pain was written all over his face. Or maybe it was pain she was witnessing, maybe it was the guilt. Like a slow burn it was taking a toll on him and manifesting itself in John's tired features and almost lifeless body. She thought for the last month that she had been a mess, but with him sitting in front of her now, she could tell she hadn't been the only one.

Living with a lie sometimes was harder then living with the pain that the lie created.

Trish knew she should be angry, that she should be saying something to John to let him know that what he had confessed to her hadn't fallen on deaf ears and she hated it. It was his actions that night that had pulled them apart the way they were now and having someone or something to blame other then Randy seemed like a gift but she couldn't find the anger within her to tell John what she really think he came here to hear. Instead she was at a loss.

"I'm so sorry Trish. I thought that doing what I did would just loosen him up. It wasn't supposed to go as far as it did."

"You drugged your best friend just so you could have some fun with him?"

"Yes. I mean I thought I was doing it for him but yeah, I did it."

"Does he know?"

"Yeah he knows."

As soon as John said the words, Trish ran through the last couple of weeks in her mind. How often Randy had attempted calling. The visits to her home that remained unanswered. How long had he known? How long had he been trying to get in touch with her to explain all of this and more importantly, how long had she been turning him down at every turn as he tried to explain?

Given everything she knew now, her being pregnant, John confessing what he just had, she could feel herself going numb. For the last few weeks she had done nothing but blame Randy, made him out in her mind to be a villain when in reality he deserved none of it. She had assumed he was same Randy of old and that everything between them had all been some kind of a joke when in reality none of that was true.

He had changed, he had become the man he claimed to be and the only reason it looked otherwise was because John had done the unspeakable to him. Had put him into a situation that he had no control over. Yes he had cheated on her that night, but he hadn't done it willingly. The more she focused on it, the more it turned her stomach. She was beginning to feel physically sick. It was more then that though, not only did she feel sick because of what John had said, she felt sick because of her reaction to it.

Randy had only wanted someone that believed in him. She had been that person for years before when they ran the road together and at the first hint of something being different, she had turned her back on that. She wasn't the person that she claimed to be and she hadn't been the person that Randy deserved. Things were the way they were now because of her, because she just couldn't trust him the way he needed her too. For Trish it was like stepping back in time again.

"How long has he known?"

"What do you mean?"

"When did you tell him what you'd done?"

"About two days ago."

She had no idea why she was doing it but in that moment she thought of Amy. How Amy and John had been around each other, much the same as Randy and Trish had been years before. Caring for one another but not telling each other how they felt and letting time just rip them apart. As it was now, Amy was with Phil, and they were happy, or at least as happy as Amy could be given that she wasn't being true to herself or to anyone around her anymore. Would John have done this to Randy had Amy been there? Had they all been hiding from their feeling for so long that in turn they were taking turns ruining each others happiness? Was there really more to what John had done then just wanting Randy to unwind?

"The John I remember never would have done something like this. No, he would have been the one protecting someone from this very thing. What changed?"

Trish knew this was the unanswerable question. That no matter what he did say, she wouldn't entirely believe it. It had been years since John and her had spoken, it was simple fact that he could have changed in that time, but she had hoped, in the back of her mind that he hadn't.

"What changed was that I went from being a great guy to being a complete ass hole in just a few short hours. I made a horrible choice and I can't live with myself knowing what I've done here. It doesn't make up for any of it but I can't let it go on a second longer."

_Maybe it wasn't unanswerable after all. _

"What do you want from me John? Forgiveness?"

"No I don't want that because I know it can't happen. I can't even forgive myself, how can I expect you to do it?"

"Then what?"

"Fix this with Randy. I know I'm the reason it's all blown to shit in the first place but if its not too screwed up already, fix it. I will do whatever I can to help you do it."

"You want to help me fix things with Randy?"

"I'd like nothing more. I've pulled away from him over what happened. What I was hiding from him and now that its all out, and I've pretty much lost the only real friend I've ever had in this business and out of it, I've got nothing left to lose. Trish, I know you don't believe me, but I have to make this right. Let me help you make this right."

What John said weighed heavily on her mind. He was right, things were pretty much blown apart between Randy and her and she had no idea where to begin when it came to fixing it all. It could be as simple as a phone call but given everything that had happened, a phone call just didn't seem to cut it.

Given everything she now knew, it wasn't a matter of whether her and Randy could get back together, but more of if Randy would even want her back now, given the way she had treated him and pushed him away.

Could this really be fixed?


	19. Chapter 19

**Authors Note:** Alright I feel that it should be said that this story will only have two chapters left. This one and the one after it. That being said, there will be more stories from me, and most likely even more Trish and Randy stories as I have so much fun writing these two, as I do as well with John Cena and Trish. It seems it all comes back to Trish really lol. Anyway, that being said, I hope you have enjoyed this journey with me, three years later and I hope I've done the story justice since reviving it. I thank you all for your support, it means the world to me. So now, on with the show.

* * *

"You wanna tell me how you're managing to be here with me right now?"

Randy had been summoned to Trish's house in the wee hours of the morning by an overly eager Megan and now they stood, taking in the backyard area which had been completely redone. It no longer resembled a backyard. No, Megan had gone above and beyond with her idea and had made it look like the most beautiful and elegant flower garden Randy had ever seen.

Not that he had much experience with flower gardens, but the few that his mother had forced him to go to as a child, had nothing on the way this small looking backyard looked now. If he hadn't already gotten to know Megan the way he had, he would have been shocked. No, he wasn't shocked but he was absolutely amazed.

"Trish still thinks I need the family time. Which if this doesn't work is really going to screw me for vacations for the rest of my life. So this had better work."

Randy knew she had a point. With the amount of distance that had been between him and Trish as of late, there was no real guarantee that doing everything that Megan had planned would actually work but he sure hoped so. He was at a loss at what else he could do other then what he had been doing as of late, which did borderline on stalking and he was open to trying something that might seem out of the box.

Which this most definitely was. He wasn't known for being the most romantic guy in the world, in fact his track record with the ladies pretty much proved otherwise but with Trish, and for Trish he had been willing to try anything. He had sent her flowers when he could, called her as much as possible, even sending the morning and goodnight texts the way he knew most women liked. Being around her even for a split second made him open to a different way of being and he hoped with all that was in him that this idea, which took different to the extreme would be just the opening he needed to get the love of his life back.

"You're positive that she won't be coming home today?"

"Positive. She takes her work very seriously Randy. Knowing that, I made sure to almost double book her back to back for classes and appointments all day. That means the only break she will be able to have, especially with me and the other yoga instructor out today, is maybe a bathroom break and we all know those don't last very long. You're safe here."

It wasn't that he felt unsafe or that she might walk home and find him and be furious, he just wanted to make sure that the plan went off without a hitch. Having that happen depended entirely on her not showing up anywhere near her house until they were ready, which was still hours away. There was still so much that needed to be done,even though on the surface it looked polished and ready. There could be no setbacks.

Them being apart for as long as they were was already a setback enough.

"There will be another delivery coming in about an hour, the florist again. The last of the flowers that I spent hours ordering last night. Otherwise as long as you stay here and are in place when she does get home, we'll be ready to go. I really left no room for error."

"Where are you off to now then?"

"Randy, we talked about this. You're not gonna see her for the first time in weeks looking the way you look now. So I'm doing your a favour and getting an old friend of mine to come here and make you look presentable. We should be back within the hour."

She really did have everything planned out and he was more then thankful but there was so many things, variables even that he was finding it hard to wrap his mind around them all. Though why she felt that he needed a total makeover was beyond him. He thought he looked pretty damn good considering the night before had been his first sober night in over a month.

He watched as she grabbed her bag and made her way to the door, turning around once more and facing him. "Now remember," she stated as she opened the door, "don't answer the door to anyone other then who we talked about."

She turned then and ran head on into what she thought was a brick wall but was a living breathing person, who she noticed as she looked up, was smiling down at her, not a care in the world.

"I'm thinking you should be taking your own advice there sweetheart."

"Who the hell are you?"

Randy couldn't help but laugh. Here she was standing in front of none other then the WWE Champion John Cena and it didn't even phase her. She had no idea who he was, only that he was definitely not part of her plan. Randy admired her. Many girls much weaker then she obviously was had fallen victim to John's opening lines to them in the past.

"She's kidding right?"

Randy knew John was directing the comment at him but given the way things had ended the last time they'd spoken, he really wasn't in the mood for idle chit chat, even if it was about the woman that was helping him get Trish back.

"No actually she's not. What the hell are you doing here John?"

"Trish asked me to stop by and see her today, but I couldn't remember if she meant work or here so I tried her first. Guess I was wrong. When did you get into town?"

He didn't want it to bother him, the fact that his best friend was standing in the doorway of the woman he loved house, and they apparently had been seeing one another previously as this was a time and date set up meeting for today but it ate at him. Sure, when everything had happened that night, he was pretty sure their relationship was done, given just how fast she'd run from him but he'd hoped she wouldn't have moved on quite so quickly. Especially with the person standing before him now. She really must have no idea what had happened that night if she was so quick to spend time with him.

"Last night. Look John, what are you really doing here?"

"Look man, you may not believe a word that comes out of my mouth these days and I understand that and even respect it but I'm really here for the reasons I say I am. The better question is, what the hell are you doing here?"

Megan shot him a look, one he hadn't seen since he was a teenager and his mother would give it to him as a way to ward off whatever awful plan Randy had been planning on going through with and it almost made him lose focus and break down laughing. She was a tough one, Megan and he was actually really glad this was the woman that Trish kept by her side. There really couldn't be anyone better.

He knew what the look was about though. Should he really be telling John of all people just what they were planning on doing for Trish? Could the guy be trusted after everything that had happened to keep his mouth shut and not ruin everything they'd been working so hard to attain? Despite knowing he was probably going to regret it, their years of history won out, Randy knowing that when John was in his right mind that he was the most trustworthy guy around, and in remembering that, he went ahead and broke it down for his former best friend.

"I'm going to get her back and Megan here is helping me. I don't care what you have to say about it, because even with you knowing it doesn't change anything. I'm going to go through with it."

Randy was expecting John to make a comment, whether one to poke fun at exactly what he was planning on doing, or one that would warn him away from following through but he expected one none the less. He wasn't too far off in his assumption though because John most certainly did have a comment to make, but it wasn't one that Randy had seen coming.

"Well alright buddy, since there seems to be no talking you out of it, not that I would anyway, how can I help?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Authors Note:** God willing, this chapter comes out the way I see it in my mind. This is the final chapter folks. Thank you for sticking with me for this three year ride and I hope this gives you a satisfying ending. I'm going to tie up any loose ends that I feel that I left throughout the story and bring it to a satisfying conclusion, not only for you the readers but for me the writer. So sit back, and enjoy.

* * *

The stage was set and everything was in its rightful place, including Randy. The only thing missing was her. Yes her. The love of his life. The woman he never should have let walk away years before and the woman he had been so thankful for since the day she walked back into his life almost 3 months before.

Megan had gone to the office to get her, leaving Randy with John, probably the last person he wanted to be left alone with but was handling in his own unique way. John really had come through since showing up on her doorstep hours beforehand and he was thankful for that. For a short period of time the sins of the past had been put aside and it was like they were the Randy and John of old again. It was a good feeling.

Randy had missed his best friend almost as much as he had missed being with Trish over the last few weeks. He now knew why John hadn't been as close as before and while he was having problems with forgiving him for it, there was also a part of him that felt more whole having him there right now. They still hadn't talked about what had happened that night other then the fact that John had drugged him and he knew the time would have to come where they would, but he wasn't sure when that time would be.

It was apparent though that the minute Megan was out the door, on the way to the studio to pick up her very much needed boss for this little surprise, that John didn't feel the same.

"Look man, about that night."

"Not now John."

"If not now then when Randy? I mean come on man, we can dance around it today and every day after it but until we actually talk about what happened then nothing is ever really going to change."

"What makes you think anything would change anyway?"

He knew he sounded cold but he also knew he had every right to feel that way. Best friends, brothers even just don't do what John did. They don't take their brothers out, get them loaded on booze and drugs and tear their lives apart. No matter how well intentioned John had thought he was that night he had taken it way too far off the reservation.

"I get that. I know that I may never be forgiven for what I did. I know that I've probably lost one of the best friends I've had forever. I can live with that but I still think we need to talk about it."

"Fine John, what do you want to talk about first? The fact that you drugged me so that I'd loosen up enough to fuck two women I don't even know, or the fact that in doing so I lost the love of my life? They're both so fucking captivating, I don't know where to begin."

"You're mad."

"No shit bro. Yeah I'm fucking mad. I trusted you. With everything. You know how I felt about her, what being away from her was doing to me and your answer to all of that was to drug me? Make me forget for just a few hours. Or maybe I'm wrong and what you wanted was the girl."

It was a stretch, given that Randy knew how John felt about Amy and how much like him it hadn't faded over time, just gotten stronger but he was mad and once the words began to fall he was powerless to stop them.

"You know I don't want Trish!"

"I do? How do I know that? You did whatever you could to get me out of the way and then had a secret meeting here with her last night. You tell me brother, how does that look?"

"I came here to tell her what I'd done. I couldn't live with myself any more. This shit has been eating me alive for weeks now. I pulled away from you without a word because of it, but I couldn't escape it. I saw what happened to you after that night, you were becoming the man you were before you had Alanna. I couldn't live with that, knowing I'd caused it so I came here to talk to her. That's the god damned truth. I don't want your girlfriend Randy."

Of all of the things he expected John to say, most of which were excuses, he hadn't been expecting that. From the old John yes but the new copy, the one that drugged a guy he considered his brother, he didn't expect the truth from. He knew it was the truth though, because John was getting angry, something that if he was guilty of something else, he wouldn't be doing. He was transparent that way. Easy to read.

"You told her everything?"

"Yes man. I told her all of it. Well when she finally came downstairs and talked to me."

"What?"

"When I got here, she ran up to the bathroom, said she had left something running in there and had to check on it and turn it off or some other nonsense. I might have been born in the morning but it hadn't been that morning, there was more to it but I let it slide. Anyway she came downstairs and I told her everything."

Randy wanted to focus on what John had said about her actions before he had told her but for the time being, what happened next was more paramount so he had to put it in the back of his mind to come back to later. Maybe if this worked with Trish the way he hoped, he could ask her himself.

"How'd she take it?"

"Visibly upset. I mean I fucked her in doing what I did just as much as I fucked you and you know how I feel about the both of you man. Surprisingly though she didn't kick me out."

"What else happened?"

"Nothing man. I told her that I'd do anything to get you two back together, that I didn't like the way everything had happened and that even though I knew it changed nothing in the long run in terms of our friendship that I would do anything to make sure you both got what you needed. Which was each other."

"What was the whole thing today about then?"

"Helping her."

"With me?"

"Yeah, I mean I think that's what it was about. I can't help her with anything else at the moment."

John had made yet another good point. Trish and John hadn't been in contact after she had left the company, so there really was no other reason for them to have another meeting unless it pertained to Randy. It made him happy knowing this now though because it meant that if she wanted John's help that she was open to what she was about to walk in on in a few short minutes."

"Alright."

"I'm sorry Randy. If it hadn't been for me you wouldn't have slept with those skanks that night, you'd still be with Trish and who knows what else. I'm the reason you're standing there now in that monkey suit, waiting for her to show up."

As angry as he was, Randy knew that all of this, the last month of his life had not been entirely John's fault. John had not made him get drunk every night after the incident happened and go out on the town trolling for other random women to be with. John hadn't made him sleep with those women to force away the internal loneliness he felt. No, he had done that all on his own and he was entirely responsible for those actions and it was those that he most wanted her forgiveness for. In fact he wasn't sure he could entirely live right without it.

"I want to hate you John. Yeah a lot of the reason I'm here now is because of what you chose to do that night but I can't hate you, not entirely. If I hadn't been the way that I was, then it wouldn't have happened at all. I own this too."

"You think we can get past this man?"

"We're already past it. Am I happy you did it? No. Do I understand why you feel you had to do it? Yeah. I was a mess then, and I'm a mess now and I was a mess before that. I had just buried it all. The world got the parts of me that I wanted them to see. Truthfully though, I'm pretty weak. It was starting to change though and I want to make sure that it really does this time."

"I know it might not mean anything but I'll help any way I can."

"It does mean something John. Thanks."

The mood had gotten so serious in just a few minutes and Randy was beginning to tire of it. The walk down memory lane, especially when it was a not so good one had the ability to take a lot out of him and right now he needed every bit of strength he had left in him to fight for what he really wanted most. He had to fight for Trish. Something he had spent far too long not doing.

"You sure you wanna do this?"

"What do you mean am I sure? I've never been more sure in my life."

"No man, I don't mean overall. I mean what Megan came up with for you to do."

It clicked in then what John was getting at and Randy couldn't help but laugh. What he was about to do was something so unlike him and while he was pretty sure he was going to botch it up and ruin it, it hadn't changed his mind in the slightest. If this was what it would take just to get her to listen to him, to open herself up to him again then he was damn sure gonna do it.

"I'm gonna make a complete ass of myself and I know it but you know what John, I just don't care."

As the room fell silent it allowed them to hear the sound of a car pulling into the driveway knowing that it was their cue to head towards the backyard. As soon as he heard the tires on the asphalt, Randy's stomach tied up in knots. It was now do or die time.

As he made a break with John for the backyard, he found himself doing something he'd never done before. He found himself praying. Praying that this would work out in his favour, praying that he could right all of the wrongs he had done by this woman and that they could move on and move forward past all of it.

Not only for him, but for the family he had created for them in his mind. He had to do it for all of them even if it didn't exist quite yet. Nothing was more important to him.

"Megan, where's the fire?"

"Nowhere Trish I'm sorry but when your neighbour called and said something strange was going on in your backyard and that you'd be best served getting home to check on it, I mean, I thought you'd be concerned."

"Was it Mr. Montgomery from next door? That old man can't even see with his good eye. It's probably nothing and even if it is something, you rushing toward it like that would just get you killed. Don't you watch crime shows?"

John snickered as they listened to the conversation and Randy smacked him on the shoulder as hard as he could. As funny as the conversation was, they couldn't risk being found out until the time was right. Randy knew that if that happened then Megan would surely kill him and he wouldn't need to worry about getting back with Trish.

"I'm a black belt. I can handle anything."

"Right. Let me go tell the gun wielding mad man you said that. I'm sure he'll agree with you one hundred percent, that is before he shoots you."

She walked through the screen door then and as Randy looked at the sound, having planned their movements away from the door very well, they locked eyes for the first time in over a month and he instantly felt himself overcome with emotion.

There she was. His girl. His Trish. The love of his life, right there in the flesh, a sight he was sure he almost wouldn't see again but was now standing mere feet from. Dressed in her work clothes, her hair falling out of the ponytail she'd kept it in, he suddenly felt extremely overdressed. Megan had to have known that it would be this way, so just what was he doing in the suit again?

"What is all of this?" Trish asked as she walked out through the door and into the backyard that aside from a few spots where Randy and John were standing, was completely covered in flowers. She had never seen anything like it in her life and was almost at a loss for words as the sight before her.

"This is for you Trish."

"Megan, what are you talking about?"

"I know that it wasn't my place but I couldn't let it continue happening. This distance with you and Randy, not when he wanted so badly to talk to you, to make this right. So we met, and well here we are."

John hit the music then, being the closest to the stereo and the music flooded through. Music from a song that Trish had told Randy years beforehand that was one of her favourites. A song that no matter what she was doing would fill her with love. A song that she had hoped she'd get to use on her wedding day, and hadn't been able to. A song that Randy was now going to use to get her back.

**How can I just let you walk away, just let you leave without a trace  
When I stand here taking every breath with you, ooh  
You're the only one who really knew me at all**

**How can you just walk away from me,**  
**when all I can do is watch you leave**  
**Cos we've shared the laughter and the pain and even shared the tears**  
**You're the only one who really knew me at all**

**So take a look at me now, oh there's just an empty space**  
**And there's nothing left here to remind me,**  
**just the memory of your face**  
**Ooh take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space**  
**And you coming back to me is against all odds and that's what I've got to face**

He knew he should have just let the original song play, and not attempted singing it himself given that he didn't fancy himself much of a singer but deep down he knew that if he really wanted to get to the heart of the matter, her heart and feelings, then it was better coming from him so he continued singing, until the very last note, letting her know in unspoken terms with his body language that he loved her and he would do anything, including butchering an amazing song, for her.

**I wish I could just make you turn around,****  
****turn around and see me cry****  
****There's so much I need to say to you,****  
****so many reasons why****  
****You're the only one who really knew me at all**

**So take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space****  
****And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face****  
****Now take a look at me now, cos there's just an empty space****But to wait for you, is all I can do and that's what I've got to face****  
****Take a good look at me now, cos I'll still be standing here****  
****And you coming back to me is against all odds ****  
****It's the chance I've gotta take**

**Take a look at me now...**

As he finished and the music faded, he opened his eyes again, and found that Trish was now standing mere steps from him, having closed the distance while he had been singing to her and he instantly reached out his hands until they were interlocked with hers.

John and Megan had taken the time as well to make themselves disappear inside of the house, giving the two of them the much needed time alone that they needed.

It had been over a month in the making but now here they were, standing face to face, hand in hand, back where they belonged or at least that's how Randy saw it. With the song finished and her this close, he knew this was his chance. His last chance to change everything and make it all right.

"Randy, did you really plan all of this with Megan?"

"Yeah. She called me two days ago and asked me to come to town. She took the time off and we met here and while you were working, we put it together. For you."

"But why? After the way I've treated you, not taking your calls, ignoring your attempts to get me to talk here, hiding from you the way I did. Why would you do all of this?"

"I thought you knew that already Trish. I love you. I would do anything for you. You weren't letting me in, so I went to the next best person to gain entrance so I could do something, anything to show you how much you mean to me."

She was silent then and Randy began to worry. She hadn't moved away from him, she wasn't running anymore but he was still concerned. There was a lot of pain still separating them and he knew that one declaration of love wouldn't fix all of it. It was going to take a hell of a lot more time, effort and work but he really hoped that he had begun to earn an investment of her time.

"What happened a month ago should have never happened. I know that you know now what happened, the same as I know, but it doesn't change anything. I was not in the right place when we got together. I wanted to convince myself that I was, but I was still very much broken. I wasn't being real with myself or you, or anyone around me. John being able to orchestrate what happened that night is proof of it. I never would have done what I did if I had been right. I didn't realize exactly what I had in you when I had you."

"And now? How is any of that different now?"

"Because now, I've been without you. I know what it feels like to be entirely alone, without anyone, without that one person that changes you for the better. To be without my better half and it's a feeling I never want to have again. I was so persistent in trying to talk to you because I needed to tell you that. I can't live without you Trish, not when I love the man that I am every second that I'm around you."

She was stunned. She had been avoiding this talk, this moment for weeks and now that she was standing right in the middle of it, she was stunned into silence. He was putting his heart on the line for her, telling her that it wasn't entirely John's fault, that he had been the cause of all of it, but that he didn't want to be that way anymore. He wanted what he had when they had been together, even if he hadn't been entirely ready for it.

"I'm pregnant."

"Whoa..what?"

She had wanted to say something, anything to what he had just confessed to her but she couldn't find the words and before she knew it, she had let slip the very thing she had been keeping so desperately close to her for the past twenty four hours. Dropping it like a bomb in the middle of a declaration of feelings. Not her finest moment by far.

"I'm pregnant. About 8 weeks."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

He had promised Megan that when they put the plan together that he wouldn't deviate from it. That he would follow it just the way she wanted him to so that he could better his chances at having Trish talk to him but there was something he had been planning on the side, that only John knew about, and seeing her standing there now, a paralysing fear beginning to develop on her beautiful face, he knew that he was going to take the risk and throw caution to the wind.

It might not be the right time but he couldn't think of any time that would be any better then now. So not letting go of her hand for a second, he got down on his knees, both of them and he looked up at her. It wasn't traditional and it might not be considered right but Randy no longer cared.

"Trish Stratus, with just two words you can make all of my dreams come true. You've changed me, from the man that I thought was the one I wanted to be, to the man I know I can be, as long as you're by my side through it all. I want nothing more then to be a family with you, in fact its the only dream I haven't gotten the chance to live and I've spent the last 7 years or more wanting nothing more then to live this dream. Will you marry me?"

Randy pulled the ring from his pocket then and with his one free hand held it out to her. When he had said earlier that it was do or die time, it hadn't been accurate, because it wasn't time to do or die, it was time to do and live.

"Randy..I..."

"I know what I did a month ago and I know the damage it caused because I've been living that damage every single day since. I don't want to make light of any of it. I know its going to take work and a lot of learning for both of us to get back what we were building before I went and screwed it all up. I just don't want to go through any of this alone anymore. I want to be a family, the same way I always have with you and my daughter and our new addition, if you're willing to work with me."

Randy reached out and placed his hand on her lower abdomen then, knowing it would be too soon to feel anything, but just wanting to feel as close to it, and to her as he could. She was carrying a piece of them inside of her and knowing that now, even if it had just come out the way it had, didn't change the fact that his dreams were indeed coming true because of it.

"You think that because of what happened that night, and after it, that you're such a bad guy Randy when in reality we're exactly the same. So if you weren't right before then, I most definitely wasn't. Maybe we moved too soon and couldn't handle the seriousness of the situation, maybe it all had to happen like this but if there is one thing I've learned over the past few weeks its that much like you, I can't go through this alone anymore either. I like the way I felt being with you and I would give anything to get that back."

"So does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yes Randy. It means exactly what you think it means. Of course I'll marry you."

He pulled her to him then, and did the one thing he had been dying inside waiting to do. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her into him as closely as he could and he placed his lips to hers. Pushing every feeling, every emotion and every thought he'd had about this woman into the kiss, the deeper it became. Filling it with love.

It might not be perfect, it might not have gone down the way that either of them had wanted but none of that mattered now. All that mattered was that they were together, right where they both wanted and deserved to be and one more thing.

They were going to be a family.

Forever.

* * *

Authors Note: The Song used in this chapter was Phil Collins - Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)


End file.
